


Earthtones

by Mattecat



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alcohol, Gun Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattecat/pseuds/Mattecat
Summary: Dareth foils a kidnapping attempt and develops an unlikely bond with Cyrus Borg, except now the Sons of Garmadon have them both in their sights. An AU of seasons 8–9 featuring Coppershipping (Cyrus/Dareth).[Warnings apply to Chapter Seven and above.]
Relationships: Cyrus Borg/Dareth
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> congrats to my 69th work on ao3
> 
> backstory: I posted this on my dreamwidth account first but no one commented on it, nor did I get any indication that anyone had read it, so whatever whatever I'll put it on ao3 even though I'm trying to distance myself from this site.
> 
> 9 chapters of this are drafted, 4 are revised, I'll update on sundays? hopefully? I switched to a new computer and I'm still getting used to it lol. I'm trying to get the whole thing completed by the end of the month but it's gonna be a hot minute before it's all posted here since I'm only updating once a week.
> 
> other notes: the major character death is not cyrus or dareth.
> 
> remember to like comment subscribe if you enjoy, follow me at legoshipping on tumblr or realitynrebirth on twitter, have fun

"You're not getting your security deposit back," the landlord said, his eyes drifting over Dareth's apartment. He lingered for a moment on the underwear hanging off the TV, then pulled his gaze away and sighed.

Dareth let out a nervous chuckle. "Ah heh… listen, I know my rent's been spotty, but I swear, I'll get my act together."

"You might," said his landlord, "but this is your last chance. I've been nice enough not to charge you late fees, but I want last month and this month's rent by the end of the week, capeesh?"

"Oh, sure," Dareth said, his mind racing. He spent most of his last paycheck on groceries and a new trophy, but he could probably put something together for this month's rent, at least. "Not a problem. That's gonna be…"

"That's two thousand dollars by Friday, if we're combining your water bill with it." The landlord fixed him with a glare. "At this point, it might be cheaper for me to evict you and be done with it, but I'm giving you one more chance. That's it, Brown. One more chance."

Dareth managed a shaky grin. "Don't worry, pal, I won't let you down."

"Sure you won't." The landlord sucked air through his teeth. "Sure you won't. See you, Brown."

Once his landlord was gone, Dareth took a few moments to sit down, pour himself a beer, and mess with his BorgWatch while trying to come up with a plan. He could probably pick up another shift at the bar, but that wouldn't pay him in time. Maybe he could do a few gigs? Help someone move boxes, that sort of thing.

"Man," he said out loud. "Two thousand dollars! That's ridiculous!"

Complaining about it didn't help. He finished the beer and considered another one, but decided against it. He wanted a clear head, at least for the moment. Hey, worst come to worst, he could stay with the ninja, right? Surely they owed him one, after the times he saved their butts.

He shrugged. "Eh, I'll figure something out. I always do. Ninja never quit, am I right?"

Dareth grinned at his reflection in one of the trophies. Tomorrow, he'd check online for any paying gigs, but tonight, he'd take it easy. Maybe he'd go to the bar, get some real drinks. Yeah, that sounded good. He stood up, pulled his jacket on, and headed out the door.

* * *

He had heard about the Sons of Garmadon. In the months the ninja had been searching for their missing sensei, the gang had appeared throughout Ninjago City, terrorizing the citizens. Dareth hadn't encountered them so far, so he wasn't too worried about going to the bar, alone, at night. What, was someone going to jump him? Probably not.

Even so, he stayed to the well-lit streets. No sense putting himself in danger.

He spotted Borg Tower, fairly close by. Huh, Dareth thought, his path did put him right by it. Maybe he'll stop in the lobby, browse the gift shop. Can't buy anything, not with needing to save up two thousand by Friday, but there was no harm in window-shopping.

Of course, the lobby was closed by the time he got there. "Aw, c'mon!" he said out loud, tugging at the doors. "I guess they close early on Sundays. What a shame!"

He checked the map on his phone. The fastest route to the bar would take him around the tower, so he shrugged and started walking again, rounding the corner of the building.

A dark shape passed overhead.

Dareth looked up. "Huh?" he said.

The streetlight had gone out, and it was a new moon tonight. Even so, there was the silhouette of a head against the starry sky, looking down. Dareth took out his phone and shined the flashlight at them, but the person retreated further back on the rooftop before he could get a good look.

"Who's there?" Dareth demanded. "I gotta warn you, if you're thinking of messing with the Brown Ninja –"

"Shut _up!_ " a voice hissed, and a hand clamped over his mouth.

Dareth yelped, the sound muffled almost to nothing. Despite his struggles, his assailant had a hard grip on him, and he couldn't break himself free.

A quiet _thump_ sounded next to them. "Damn it, Missy! We were supposed to be stealthy!"

"Quiet!" The person holding him shifted her grip, her nails digging into Dareth's face. "We won't be stealthy at all if this guy calls the cops on us!"

"So what the hell do you suggest we do?"

Dareth's protests were muffled as his phone was taken from him. "Find something to gag him with," Missy growled. "And quick! He's getting spit all over my hand."

"Gross!"

"Shut up and start looking!"

He had to do _something._ Dareth stomped on Missy's foot and she yelped, but didn't let go. He did it again, timing the stomp with licking her hand, and managed to use her moment of disorientation to break free and tumble on the ground. "A-ha!" he exclaimed, rolling onto his back. "There's no holding down the Brown Ninj – ack!"

Missy kicked him in the gut. "Stop playing games," she said while he doubled over in pain. "The ninja aren't here to save you! And even if they were, why would they care about you?"

Normally, he had some sort of witty comeback for people like this, but Missy had kicked _really hard,_ and Dareth couldn't get a word out. By the time he recovered, the two gang members were glaring down at him, and boy did they look intimidating.

Dareth knew when he had lost a fight, sometimes before it even began. "Hey, buddies," he said, putting his hands behind his back. "I don't suppose we can work things out?"

Missy snorted. "All we need is for you to keep your mouth shut," she said. "I don't think that'll be a problem."

"Uh-huh," Dareth said, one hand on his BorgWatch, pressing buttons at random. One of these had to be the police, right? "I'll just be on my way, and –"

A loud ringing sounded from his watch. Both Dareth and the gang members were frozen at the sound, up until it stopped and a voice picked up. "Dareth, I told you not to call this number –"

"Dammit!" Missy shouted. She grabbed Dareth by his collar and pulled him off the ground. "What the _hell_ did I just say?!"

Dareth squeaked. "Hey, hey," he squeaked. "It was an accident! I must've butt-dialed! I, uh – hey, Pix, if you could send some help over here –"

Missy swung him hard, his head _crack_ ed against the wall, and everything went black.

* * *

When he came to, he was still in the alley, looking up at a pair of glowing green eyes. Someone was repeating his name. "Dareth. Dareth, can you hear me? Dareth?"

He tried to speak, but only groaned. It felt like someone had driven a nail into his skull. Pixal shifted her grip on him, which made the pain flare up, and he tried to feel the back of his head. "Don't move," Pixal said. "You have a head injury. I need you to stay awake for me, Dareth."

"Sure thing, Pix," he managed to say. "Can y' get… uh…"

He trailed off. Staying awake seemed a much more onerous task than it was a few seconds ago. His eyelids started to droop.

Pixal picked him up. "Stay awake," she said. "Talk to me. Why were you at Borg Tower tonight?"

"Just, uh…" His vision was blurry. "Wanted to see the… the…"

She started walking. Dareth grimaced in pain. "Keep talking," Pixal said. "I'm not angry at you. You prevented the Sons of Garmadon from kidnapping my father. I am very grateful for that."

"Really?" Dareth said. "That's… good…"

"I've called an ambulance. Stay with me. What's your favorite color?"

"Uh…" He had to take a moment to think about it. "Brown, obviously."

"What's your favorite food?"

"Puffy… pot stickers?"

Pixal asked him question after question, forcing him to stay awake to answer. Soon enough, sirens pierced his ears. He could barely think through the noise, and he only realized Pixal wasn't there anymore once he was loaded in the ambulance. He tried to ask the people around him where she was, but they didn't understand.

Eventually, he blacked out.

* * *

Dareth didn't know how he was going to pay the hospital bill. Two overnights? That was going to be expensive. The collections department said they would mail the final bill to him, so he had a few more days before he had to think about paying it. He said goodbye to the nurse and walked outside, wondering if he should call a taxi or not.

"Dareth?"

He looked up to see a woman he didn't recognize staring at him. "That is you, right?" she said.

"Uh, yeah, that's me." He flashed a smile at her. "Is there a situation? Do you need my help?"

She shook her head and walked over. "I'm Cyrus Borg's secretary, Becky," she said, shaking his hand. "Dr. Borg would like to thank you personally for stopping the Sons of Garmadon's kidnapping plot."

"I did that?" Dareth said. "Oh, yeah, I did that! Well, if it's Borg asking, how can I refuse? I'm a huge fan, after all."

Becky smiled. "I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that," she said. "If you could follow me…"

The car was self-driving, to Dareth's surprise. Becky explained it to him as it set off down the busy streets. "I believe the AI driving it is based off an earlier version of Pixal's model," she said. "Unlike Pixal, this one is more specialized, and doesn't have the same cognitive abilities as Pixal herself. Still very intelligent, of course – Dr. Borg really is a genius."

"Sure is," Dareth said with a grin. "I gotta say, I love the BorgWatch. Went to the midnight reveal and everything!"

Becky's smile faltered. "Right. Try to avoid mentioning that night to Dr. Borg. He doesn't have the fondest memories of it."

Dareth winced. "Ah ha ha, that's right. Don't worry, I'll watch my mouth."

They pulled into Borg Tower's underground parking garage and stopped right by the elevators. Dareth couldn't help but think the concrete walls and floor didn't look too impressive, but hey, it was just a garage. Not every part of Borg Tower would be a technological marvel. He and Becky entered the elevator and ascended.

"You're a friend of the ninja, right?" Becky said.

"Yep!" Dareth said proudly. "Haven't been in contact with them recently, but, eh, they're not up to much these days."

"Looking for their missing teacher, right? Dr. Borg has been funding part of their search. Now that Pixal has officially joined the ninja as Samurai X, he feels it's his responsibility as her father."

"Right, right."

It was a long ride to the hundredth floor. Dareth shifted from side to side and wondered why Cyrus Borg would want to meet him, of all people. Obviously it was totally fantastic, but the man had never been much interested in ninja business before Pixal joined. He didn't have any involvement when Dareth was the ninja's manager, despite the requests for sponsorship that Dareth was pretty certain never reached him.

Finally, they arrived. The door chimed and Becky exited, Dareth trailing behind.

"Oh!" Cyrus beamed at them from his desk. "Dareth, right? Come in, come in! Take a seat!"

Dareth grinned back and took the chair offered to him. "Thanks, Becky," he said. "And thank you for inviting me, Mr. Borg."

"It's Doctor, actually. But you can call me Cyrus."

Becky hovered by the side of the desk. "There's unfinished work in my office," she said. "Permission to leave?"

Cyrus nodded. "Permission granted – you know you don't have to ask! Go on then. Shoo!"

He waved a hand at her. Becky snorted and walked out. Dareth watched her go, then turned his attention to Cyrus Borg himself. "So," he said, "you wanted to, uh, thank me?"

"Yes, indeed." Cyrus' smile disappeared for a moment. "Because of your call, Pixal was able to alert us to a breach in tower security, and the guards found and arrested several Sons of Garmadon who were… approaching my quarters. We still don't know how they did it – they must have had an intimate knowledge of our systems…"

He trailed off, tapping his right hand on the table with an odd, metallic sound. Dareth waited a moment for him to continue, then spoke when he didn't.

"Heh, it was nothing," he said. "I was just in the area, y'know? I'm glad I could help out."

Cyrus blinked. "Right! And help out you did! I'm very, very grateful. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Huh?"

Cyrus beamed at him. "Since you helped me in a tremendous way, I'd like to help you in return. I could give you… hm, the latest model of the BorgWatch? Something else?"

Dareth chuckled. "Well, if you're offering…"

His phone buzzed. He pulled it out and read the text. "Three day sleft," he said to himself. "That's… huh."

"Sorry, is something wrong?"

"It's my landlord," Dareth said. "He's been on my case the past few days. Told me I had to pay him two thousand by Friday. Like I have that kind of money…"

Cyrus frowned. "Two thousand by Friday?" he repeated.

"Uh huh."

"That's in dollars?"

"Uh huh."

"And what happens if you don't pay it?"

Dareth shrugged. "He says he'll evict me, but I've always managed to work something out."

"My course of action seems obvious, then. Here."

Cyrus wrote something in a little book, tore the page out, and slid it across the desk. Dareth picked it up and his eyes widened. "Holy _smokes!_ "

"Dareth," Cyrus said, "you may have saved my life, for all I know. This is the least I can do. This should pay your rent for this month and the next, right?"

Five thousand dollars would pay for more than that. Dareth stared at the check with his mouth open.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Dareth said. "After this? I sure am! Thank you, Mister – I mean, Dr. Borg!"

He smiled. "I told you, you can call me Cyrus. Now, hurry off to the bank – it might take a day for the check to go through, and you need that money by tomorrow, don't you?"

"Right!" Dareth jumped out of his seat, nearly knocking the chair over. "Oh, whoops –"

Cyrus laughed and pushed himself backwards. "I'll call another car for you," he said, moving his wheelchair around the desk and starting off towards the elevator. "Don't want anything to happen to you before you get there, right?"

"Definitely not." Dareth followed Cyrus and got in the elevator with him. "Are you, uh, coming with?"

"Oh, no," Cyrus said immediately. "I rarely leave the tower nowadays."

He fell silent, and they rode the elevator without exchanging a word. Dareth kept wondering if he should say something, but he was still reeling from getting a check for _five thousand dollars._ He knew that for Cyrus Borg, who had billions, it was nothing – but this amount of money could change Dareth's life.

Cyrus spoke to the man at the garage and showed Dareth to the car. "I'll see you again, sometime!" Cyrus said brightly while Dareth got in. "Good luck with your landlord!"

"You too," Dareth said without thinking. Cyrus laughed and waved him off.

* * *

The bank almost didn't believe him when he tried to deposit the check; the man Cyrus sent with him had to step in and explain. "You saved Cyrus Borg?" the teller said incredulously, his eyes scanning Dareth from head to toe.

"Sure did!" Dareth said. "Got a lump on my head for it, too. I gotta say, I like the money a little better, heh."

"Huh," said the teller. "I guess there's no problem with this, then."

Dareth thanked the man profusely before he left. "I was just doing what Dr. Borg said to do," the man said with a shrug. "Now that the money's deposited safely, are you okay walking home?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Thanks again."

He waved at the car as it drove off, then headed back to his apartment. Thankfully, no one tried to jump him on the way home, despite numerous movements out of the corner of his eye making him jump and land in a fighting stance, facing nothing but a shadow.

His landlord was waiting outside his apartment door.

"Huh," Dareth said. His head started throbbing; maybe he hadn't recovered as well from the concussion as he thought. "What's going on?"

"Your money's due, Brown," his landlord said. "You got it?"

Dareth's face slowly broke into a grin. "Actually," he said, "I do. Give me a minute, I gotta get to my computer to pay it."

His landlord raised an eyebrow, but let him into his apartment. Dareth wasted no time in logging on to the tenant's portal and putting the payment through, all two thousand dollars of it. When he presented the receipt to his landlord, the other man only shrugged, said, "Good enough for now, Brown," and left.

That night, Dareth had the first good night's sleep he had in a long, long time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok this chapter was Also posted on dreamwidth a couple weeks back, so perhaps I will update a third time before next sunday just so the ppl following it there (if there are any) don't have to wait a week for a chapter they haven't read.
> 
> have fun!

His boss commented on how cheery he was. Dareth just laughed and said something about running into a spot of luck for once. "Good or bad?" his boss said with a smile.

"Good, for sure." Dareth said. "At least, I hope so!"

He continued wiping down the counter, whistling as he went. The rent payment went through swell, and Dareth even prepaid his rent for next month. His landlord no doubt wondered where he got the money from, but did it really matter, as long as he paid it? Well, no, it probably would matter if he had stolen it. But he didn't! It was completely legitimate.

"Hey, Dareth?" his boss called. "You've been wiping down that spot for a good while now. I think it's clean enough."

Dareth snapped out of it. "Yup! Sorry, Mel."

Mel laughed and walked out from behind the bar. "We're opening soon," he called over his shoulder, heading to the back office. "Make sure you're ready. Can't have you daydreaming on me, Brown!"

The nickname sounded better in Mel's mouth than his landlord's. Probably 'cause Mel actually liked having him around. Dareth chuckled and moved to the next section of counter.

When the bar opened, Dareth fell into his typical groove, chatting with the customers and serving them their drinks and food. The regulars were the good sort, never overdrinking to the point where Dareth had to cut them off, and all-around pleasant company. Dareth liked his job, which was more than most people could say, and it was why he stuck with it even when it didn't quite pay the bills.

The night passed without incident. It was busier than usual for a weeknight, and Dareth had to scramble to take care of the patrons and do the chores he was supposed to do in the slow periods. Mel had to step in and help, and by the time his shift was over, Dareth was beat, and he told Mel as much.

"Going straight home, huh?" Mel said. "I put up next week's schedule, so make sure to check that before you head out."

"Aw, why don't you just email it to me?"

"You know I have trouble with those digital devices, Brown!" Mel gave him a small smile. "Sorry, Dareth, but I'm sticking with printouts for the time being. It's too bad Abigail quit on us. No hard feelings, I wish her the best, but she just _knew_ the computers, better than anyone else I've hired."

"I could give it a shot," Dareth suggested. "I'm no expert, but I bet I could handle it."

"No offense," Mel said, "but I'd rather you stick to bartending. You're good at your job, and I don't want to change it up on you, y'know?"

"Ah, yeah, I get it."

He checked the schedule, put his shifts in his phone's calendar, and punched out. On the walk home, he entertained himself by thinking how good it would be to get into bed. His landlord was off his case, his money problems were solved… life was good.

He got home and checked his mail to find an unfamiliar envelope. A closer look determined it was from the hospital. Dareth ripped it open to find the bill from his stay enclosed.

"Oh boy," he said, reading the total. "That's… not good."

It wasn't a devastating amount, especially since he had prepaid his rent for next month, but he'd still need to watch his spending for the next few paychecks. Dareth sighed and went into his apartment. He'd worry about all that in the morning.

* * *

A few days later, Dareth wandered back to Borg Tower. He had a day off, and the lobby was open, so he figured he'd check out the gift shop like he had been planning to do before he thwarted a kidnapping and got a concussion. Still couldn't afford to buy anything, though. Maybe a novelty pen, but he really ought to be saving to pay off his medical bills, lucky as he was to have an manageable amount.

Apparently, there was an event going on in the lobby. Several reporters with their camera crews were surrounding the receptionist's desk, overwhelming the poor person struggling to answer their questions. Dareth couldn't hear what they were saying. He moved closer, only for a hand to land on his shoulder and making him jump.

"Good to see you," Becky said when he turned around. "Are you here to see Dr. Borg?"

"Uh," Dareth said. "No? I was just gonna, uh, browse the gift shop."

Becky nodded. "He'd actually like to talk to you, if you're willing to come up with me." She glanced at the reporters. "We'll have to take another route, though. I don't fancy my chances with the media. Come with me."

Dareth looked back behind him as Becky led him to a side door, but the reporters didn't seem interested in him.

* * *

The door led to a set of stairs, which they went up two floors before going to the elevator. Dareth was out of breath midway through the climb, all the while Becky assured him that no, they were not taking the stairs all the way to the hundredth floor. "This is just to avoid the crowd," she said while he leaned on the railing and took deep breaths. "Dr. Borg would rather not deal with them today."

"Huh," Dareth said between gasps. "Any… reason why?

"It's not for me to say."

"Okay, yeah. I get it."

Dareth picked at his shirt during the elevator ride. He hadn't expected to be exerting himself today, and he was a little sweaty now. Hopefully Cyrus wouldn't mind.

He didn't seem to mind. In fact, Cyrus was just as happy to see him as he was the first time. "Dareth! So good of you to stop by. I just wanted to check in, make sure everything went alright. Did you pay your rent?"

Becky raised an eyebrow. "You didn't give him money, did you?"

Cyrus scoffed. "He prevented a kidnapping, a couple thousand is nothing compared to that. Next thing I know you'll be on my case for giving my employees holiday bonuses."

"Uh…" Dareth looked between Becky and Cyrus. "Should I… give it back?"

"No, no," Cyrus said immediately. "There's no need for that. Becky, why don't you head back to your office?"

Becky shrugged and turned away. Dareth watched her go, her heels click-clacking on the floor, until Cyrus coughed and Dareth turned back around.

"Your rent," Cyrus said. "Did it go alright?"

Dareth nodded. "Yeah, thanks to you. Even paid next month ahead of time. Honestly, I can't thank you enough, Dr. Borg."

"Call me Cyrus, really!" Cyrus leaned on his desk with a smile. "We're both friends of the ninja, aren't we? I've heard a lot about you!"

"Really?" Dareth chuckled. "Yeah, we go way back to when Lloyd was… well, he's still a kid, but back when he looked like one, y'know?"

Cyrus nodded. "Right, before New Ninjago City. That's quite a while! Are you still in contact with them?"

"Eh, not so much. I was their manager for a while, but…" Dareth hesitated. "Well, they moved on. Don't need someone like me anymore."

"I'm sure they'd still be up for a chat," Cyrus said. "Pixal is glad you were at Borg Tower that night, that's for sure."

"Yeah, but they don't _need_ me, y'know?" Dareth shrugged. "I'm a cool guy, but when the going gets tough, they're not gonna call me for backup."

And he was cool with that, really. Even if he no longer had the lucrative job as their manager, he was making a good enough life for himself on his own, wasn't it? He had a job he liked, and he finally got his landlord off his case, even if that was only a recent development. The medical bills were a problem, but he always got something figured out.

"You seem…" Cyrus gestured with one hand. "…pensive."

"What?" Dareth said. "I mean, yeah, I miss 'em, but what can you do?"

"Oh, don't give me that," Cyrus said. "You can meet up with them! Invite them out to lunch! I'm sure they'd enjoy catching up, wouldn't they?"

"Eh… can't really afford to eat out."

Cyrus blinked. "After I gave you five thousand dollars?"

"Uh…" Dareth rubbed the back of his head. "Got some hospital bills. I got beaned pretty bad, and my insurance isn't that good…"

"We can't have that!" Cyrus exclaimed. "I'll contact the hospital at once."

"What?"

"You were injured defending me, even Becky can't possibly think I'm going to let you pay that off yourself." Cyrus was already picking up his phone and typing rapidly. "Pixal should know which hospital you were brought to, she's the one who called the ambulance…"

Dareth laughed nervously. "It's no big deal, I can pay it off myself, I just need to, y'know, watch my spending for a few weeks. Don't worry about it, really."

"You couldn't pay rent and I'm expected to believe you can pay off medical bills?"

Dareth winced. Cyrus blinked and paused to put down his phone.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to be rude. If you don't want me to pay it, I won't, I just… feel bad. The injury was my fault, wasn't it? In, ah, a roundabout way, sort of…"

"Oh, no way!" Dareth shook his head. "You didn't crack my head open, the Sons of Garmadon did. You don't have to worry about it, I can take care of myself."

Cyrus nodded. "Alright, then. But if you change your mind, or if something comes up, you can call this number, alright?"

"Sounds good to me." Dareth took the piece of paper Cyrus slid over to him and examined at the number written on it. "This thing has texting too, right?"

"Of course! Who do you think I am?" Cyrus cracked a smile. "Like I said, anything happens, let me know. I might not be able to respond right away, though – meetings and whatnot – so in the event of an emergency, call or text Pixal instead."

"Got it." Dareth plugged the number into his contacts. "There anything else? I'd love to stay and chat, but…"

"No, no, that's all. I have work to do, unfortunately." Cyrus sighed. "My meeting's on a lower floor – I'll take the elevator with you."

"Alright." Dareth stood up and waited for Cyrus to join him in his wheelchair. "What's the meeting about?"

"Oh, just the usual. Catching everyone up with the developments of the past week, checking everyone's progress…" Cyrus shrugged. "I'm glad you came in when you did; if you had been a little later I wouldn't have had time. I barely have enough time as it is – there's a reason I live in the same place I work, ha!"

Dareth nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I get it. Sometimes I wished I lived with Mel instead of… well, whatever."

"Who's Mel? Your boss, I take it?" They got in the elevator. Cyrus pressed the buttons for both his floor and the lobby.

"Yeah, he's a great guy. Likes me better than my landlord, heh."

Cyrus frowned. "Is your landlord… particularly unpleasant?"

"Eh, he used to like me, back when I paid my rent on time. Heh, I guess most landlords wouldn't like someone like me now."

Dareth laughed. Cyrus didn't seem amused.

The elevator doors opened, and Cyrus positioned his wheelchair in the middle of them so they wouldn't close. "I know we don't know each other well," he said, "but I mean it when I say I want you to call me if something happens. Call me, text me, what have you, just let me know, alright?"

"I wouldn't worry," Dareth said. "Things always work out for me."

Cyrus nodded, but didn't smile. "Well, let me know either way."

He left, and the elevator continued its journey down to the lobby.

* * *

On the walk back to his apartment, Dareth spotted a dog walking in the other direction. He stopped to chat with the owner and realized the dog, named Tiberius, had a custom-made wheelchair. "His back legs don't work anymore," the owner said. "Just old age. Still as happy as ever, aren't you, Tibby?"

He got the owner's permission to snap a picture and sent a text after they and the dog had walked away.

look! >  
a corgi! >  
or should I say >  
a BORG-i :) >

He didn't get a response for some hours. Dareth was getting ready for bed when his phone buzzed.

< That's a beagle, actually.  
< But thank you for thinking of me! :)

Dareth chuckled.

no problem cyrus :) >  
talk to u later >


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey what's up chapter 4 will be posted on sunday but I figured I could post this one a lil bit early. crossposted on dreamwidth, eventually. have fun!

The next day, Dareth woke up, made himself breakfast, sent a quick "good morning" text to Cyrus, and sat down to eat. He got a response almost instantaneously.

< Oh no, it's morning already?  
< I stayed up all night.

Dareth laughed through a mouthful of cereal and swallowed before responding.

impressive! >  
i barely stay up past midnight >

< I wouldn't call it impressive. It's unhealthy, mostly.  
< I could do this during my university years with no problem.  
< Not so much in my forties.

i hear u >  
im turning 40 this year :( >

< Don't give me that face!  
< I'm 44, how do you think I feel?

haha sorry >

< No worries. :)  
< I should go to sleep.  
< It was nice talking to you, however brief.

same here >  
should i say goodnight >

< Haha!  
< I hope you have a pleasant morning, Dareth.

Dareth debated texting back, but figured that was as good of a conversation ending as any. He finished his breakfast and got ready for work.

There was another unfamiliar envelope in with his mail, this one unmarked. "Huh," Dareth said out loud, looking it over. Was it his landlord? Had to be, since whoever sent it had to know where he lived to get it to him, but his landlord preferred to speak in person. He shrugged and opened the letter.

The only thing inside was a photograph. Dareth squinted at it. It looked like a picture of him standing outside his apartment building. Huh, yeah, that must've been the night he deposited Cyrus' check, because he hadn't taken off the hospital bracelet yet. Didn't really have time to do it between being discharged and the ride to Borg Tower. Dareth puzzled over the picture for a few moments, then flipped it over.

The Sons of Garmadon's emblem was stamped on the back.

* * *

Obviously, he should go to the ninja.

Except, y'know, the ninja were scattered all across Ninjago, and the phone numbers Dareth had went straight to voicemail. He tried the one for the Bounty one more time, but it was out of service. Figured, huh? Right when Dareth needed them the most.

So he called Pixal. "Hello?" Pixal said when she picked up. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh, not really…" Dareth looked back down at the photo. "I think the Sons of Garmadon know where I live. Scratch that, they definitely know."

Pixal was quiet for a moment. "What makes you think that?" she said.

Dareth explained the situation calmly, despite the fear creeping into his voice. "They had to know where I live," he said, "'cause they had to put the envelope with my mail to get it to me. And, uh, they took that photo, probably. I won't lie, Pix, I'm kind of freaking out right now."

"You're handling it remarkably well, based on our previous interactions."

Dareth was still figuring out if he should be offended by that when Pixal spoke again. "I'll look into the matter myself. It's the least I can do. I'll let Lloyd know, too. The others are too far away to assist, but Lloyd should still be in the city."

"Thanks, Pix," Dareth said. "You're a lifesaver."

"Don't put yourself in danger. Let me know if there are any developments – but don't message me with frivolous updates. I don't need pictures of dogs."

Dareth flushed. "Ha ha, uh, how did you know –"

"My father mentioned it to me. He was quite charmed." Pixal hummed. "I don't mind. It would be nice if he had someone to talk to."

Dareth frowned. "Uh, why would you mind?"

"I have to go, Dareth. Remember, only call if you need me."

"Uh, okay."

"Stay safe. Goodbye."

She hung up. Dareth lowered his phone and stared at it for a few moments, then shrugged. She probably didn't mean anything by it.

* * *

Dareth managed to pay his medical bills with his next paycheck. Sure, he didn't have much in the way of groceries, but Mel sent him home with free food from the bar, so he had maybe two nights of dinner's squared away. Things were really looking up for him!

He sat down to turn on the TV and finish off the last of a family-sized bag of chips. He didn't pay much attention to the television itself, mostly just had it on as background noise while he scrolled through social media. Kai was posting again, announcing his return after a long hiatus with a selfie of him and the back of Zane's head. Dareth cracked a smile. Good to know the ninja were still doing fine.

His phone buzzed, and the smile turned into a grin.

< Good evening, Dareth!  
< You had work today, right? How was it?

Dareth was quick to text Cyrus back.

work was great >  
mels a great guy >  
ive probably told you before >  
howd your day go? >

< Oh, the usual.  
< Watched a lot of numbers go up and down.  
< Hoped they went up more than they went down.  
< There's been more gang activity near the tower, though. I'm worried.

want me to take care of them? >

< I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to risk you being injured again.

haha yeah >

Cyrus didn't text back for a few minutes, and Dareth turned his attention back to the TV. Huh, they were talking about the Sons of Garmadon, too. The news had brought a police officer on to talk about the dangers of confronting them directly, or something; Dareth stopped paying attention when his phone buzzed again.

< You don't need anything, do you?  
< I know you had those medical bills…

relax i paid em >  
just today actually >

< Really? Fantastic!  
< Then I had no reason to worry. :)

The typing notification appeared, went away, and appeared again. Dareth waited for Cyrus to send whatever was on his mind, refraining from texting himself for the time being.

< Did you want to meet at the tower sometime soon?  
< It has a nice cafeteria that I don't think I've shown you.

any special reason? >

< No, just to chat!  
< I really do appreciate these messages, but I'd like to see you in person, too.  
< I consider you a friend, Dareth.

Dareth's chest felt light when he read the last message. Cyrus Borg considered him a friend? The billionaire CEO of Borg Industries? It felt too good to be true, but then again, they did both know the ninja. Dareth grinned and typed a message back.

glad to hear >  
me too :) >

< Excellent!  
< Shall we pick a day?

They made plans for the coming weekend and ended their conversation with a promise to see each other then. Dareth put his phone away, crumpled up the empty bag of chips, and tossed at the trash can. It missed.

Dareth laughed to himself and got up to go to bed.

* * *

"There's been some gang activity nearby," Mel said when Dareth showed up to work. "I'm worried about you walking home by yourself. Do you have anyone you can walk with?"

Dareth shrugged. "Eh, I wouldn't worry. I can take care of myself."

"This is serious, Dareth." Wow, Mel must be serious, if he used his real name. "The _ess oh gee_ aren't going to care that you're my best bartender – if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, you could get seriously hurt. You're already recovering from a concussion, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Dareth quietly thanked himself for not telling Mel about his previous run-in with the Sons of Garmadon. Probably shouldn't tell him about the letter, either. "I'll be careful, Mel, I promise."

Mel sighed. "At least let me drive you home from now on, alright?"

"Aw, you don't have to."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. It's the least I can do to keep you safe."

"Alright. Thanks, Mel."

The shift was uneventful. Busy as always, on a Friday night. When it was over, Dareth almost forgot he was riding with Mel and was about to head out the door when Mel called him back. "Where you going? Give me a minute, I just have to lock up."

"Oh, right." Dareth grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

Mel's car was full of garbage. Dareth waited while Mel cleared off the passenger's seat, tossing the fast food bags into the back. "Should be all set now," he said, gesturing for Dareth to get in. "Where do you live, again?"

Dareth laughed. "I thought you had my address, being my boss and all."

"I mean, I have it, but I barely look at it. When was the last time I had to mail a check to you?"

"Right, right."

They chatted casually about the business during the ride back. Dareth kept glancing out the window as they got closer. The Sons of Garmadon already knew where he lived – what if they were waiting for him?

"You alright, Brown?" Mel asked. "This situation's tough for everyone. If you need anything…"

"I'm doing alright," Dareth said. "Been making some new friends. Well, one new friend."

"Really? Anyone I know?"

"Oh, uh…" Dareth wasn't sure if Cyrus would want people to know he knew him. "Just someone I met through the ninja. You know I'm friends with the ninja, right?"

Mel laughed. "'Course I do! You're on their team, right? The Brown Ninja?"

"Yup! Gotta say, though, they haven't been around, lately…"

"I can't imagine they're gonna put up with this for much longer. Soon enough, they'll swoop in and save the day, right?"

"Until then," Dareth said, "you've got me."

Mel nodded. His expression turned serious. "And you'd tell me if you got in any trouble right?"

"Huh?"

They reached his apartment. Mel pulled up and parked the car. "I trust you, Dareth," he said, "but I worry about you. The ninja might save the day, sure, but they bring a lot of trouble with them. If you need anything… well, you have my number, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm serious, call me if you need _anything._ I'll admit, the most I can do is give you a place to lay low, but I'll help however I can. Got it?"

Dareth nodded. "Got it. See you later, Mel."

Dareth got out of the car and waved to Mel as he drove away. With a sigh, he dug around in his pocket for the keys and unlocked the front door. He'd be fine. He always was.

* * *

Cyrus sent a car to pick him up. It would've gone smoother if he hadn't only sent a text telling him this when Dareth was about to leave to walk there, but hey, now he didn't have to walk. Dareth tried to look on the bright side as he waited, pacing his apartment while texting Cyrus back.

it's not a big deal >  
I could've walked >

< It is a big deal!  
< Pixal told me about the letter you received.

Dareth groaned. "Come on," he mumbled while sending a response.

aw really >  
shouldntve told her >

< This is serious, Dareth!  
< The Sons of Garmadon are a serious threat to the city!

they havent dealt with me yet >

< They did! They gave you a concussion!

youre as bad as my boss >  
he drove me home from work last night >

< You were still walking home from work? At NIGHT?

Dareth put his phone back in his pocket and sighed. First Mel, now Cyrus. What next? It wasn't like Dareth couldn't take care of himself. Hadn't he gotten through everything else?

His phone buzzed. Dareth ignored it for a few moments, then took it out when it buzzed again.

< I'm sorry. :(  
< I don't want our lunch to start on a bad note.  
< It's just frustrating.  
< I'm stuck in my tower while all this is going on.  
< Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a public figure, you know?  
< I would be safer.

Dareth heard the car pull up outside. An idea struck him, and he sent a quick text back before grabbing a bag and rushing to get everything he needed.

no worries >  
see you soon ;) >


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY for the missed sunday update; I had a VERY long shift at work and just passed out as soon as I got home. enjoy this new chapter, and remember to follow me on tumblr @ legoshipping and/or twitter @ realitynrebirth for Hot Fanfic Updates.

Dareth knew there was a cafeteria in Borg Tower's basement; the public areas, anyway. It had some fast food joints, and you could get decent stuff there. Cyrus wasn't meeting with him there; instead, he instructed Dareth to come to the twentieth floor, where there was a private cafeteria specifically for residents of the tower. There was a minor incident when Dareth was stopped by security on his way to the elevator, but a quick message from Cyrus sorted that out.

Cyrus greeted him right when he got out of the elevator. "It's good to see you!" he said with a lopsided smile. "How have you been?"

Dareth grinned right back. "Heh, I told you most of it, didn't I?"

"Well, true, but some things are different in person than over text. Come, let me show you the options!"

The cafeteria was a lot nicer than any cafeteria Dareth had ever been to. He tried to put a little bit of everything on his tray but soon ran out of room – he dumped some mashed sweet potatoes on top and followed Cyrus to a seat.

"You got a lot of food," Cyrus commented when Dareth sat down.

Dareth laughed. "Eh, wanted to try everything. I eat a lot, it's no problem for me – but man, you've got a lot of options!"

Cyrus smiled. "We have a lot of employees to feed. Everyone has different dietary needs, and the chefs have to make sure there's something for everyone. So we end up with a lot!"

"That's good!" Dareth said with his mouth full. Cyrus chuckled and started eating his own food.

Midway through eating, Dareth swallowed his mouthful and started talking again. "So, did you have any plans for today?" he asked. "Y'know, work, meetings…"

"Oh, no," Cyrus said. "I made sure my schedule was clear. I do have some paperwork, but that can wait until the evening. Why do you ask?"

"Thought about what you said, about being stuck in here." Dareth leaned forward and lowered his voice. "How 'bout I take you out on the town?"

Cyrus gasped and clapped a hand to his mouth. "I'm sorry," he squeaked, "but I can't. I trust you, but…" He shook his head. "It's too dangerous. In here, at least I have security…"

"I get it, I get it. But –" Dareth grinned. "I have something to sweeten the deal. Did the ninja ever tell you I'm a master of disguise?"

"Ah, no, they didn't."

"Well, I am. Let me disguise you, and I'll get you around town safely."

Cyrus took his hand away from his face, but he didn't look convinced. "I'd imagine I'm rather conspicuous," he said. "What with a wheelchair and a prosthetic arm."

"Lots of people have wheelchairs! Trust me, you'll look like a whole new man when I'm done with you."

Cyrus shook his head. "Let's discuss this after lunch," he said.

Dareth figured that was a solid "no." "Alright," he said, sitting back down and picking up his fork again. "I won't force you."

He thought he saw Cyrus smile out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked up, the other man was back to eating.

* * *

Once they were done with lunch, Dareth expected he would head home, but in the elevator, Cyrus waited for the doors to close before turning to Dareth. "What supplies do you need?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"For the disguise. I'm assuming you'd need some form of makeup, right?"

"Well, yeah," Dareth said. "So, does that mean –"

"It doesn't mean anything yet," Cyrus interrupted. "At least, not before seeing what your disguise looks like. I trust you, but I need to be sure it's safe."

"Right, 'course." Dareth took his bag off his shoulder and flashed a grin at Cyrus. "Lucky for you, I brought my kit with me."

Dareth flipped open the bag to reveal an array of makeup that had only gotten a little bit jostled on the trip. Cyrus leaned forward to examine it. "That's… certainly extensive," he said. "Very well. Let's head to my room and see what you can do."

"Okay," Dareth said. "So, uh… which floor is your… room on?"

It occurred to him that Cyrus Borg, billionaire CEO of Borg Industries, was inviting Dareth, a bartender who was only just keeping himself afloat, to his _room._ His cheeks flushed and he busied himself with his bag, barely registering that Cyrus was still talking as the elevator moved.

Then they were there. Outside the elevator, there was a short hall with a door in front of them. "Give me a moment," Cyrus said, rolling forward. "It won't open without the retina scan – I used to use an ID card, but, well, they're easy to lose, you know?"

"I get that," Dareth said. "I misplace my keys all the time."

"That's not quite what I was implying, but that's also true." The door slid open. Cyrus twisted around and beamed at Dareth. "Are you coming in?"

Dareth shook his head, then clarified, "Yeah, of course!"

Cyrus' room – apartment, rather – was big and mostly empty. The living area had a couch and a coffee table, and Dareth spotted another door left half ajar that probably led to the bedroom. Dareth followed Cyrus to the coffee table and put his bag down on top of it. "Alright," he said. "So… what do you want to look like?"

Cyrus shrugged. "I figured I'd let you decide. You're the expert, aren't you?"

"Guess so," Dareth said with a smile. "Shall I work my magic?"

"Go right ahead! Do I, ah, have to do anything?"

Dareth chuckled. "Just hold still, and move your head when I tell you to."

He took out the makeup out of his bag, figured out what he needed, and got to work.

Neither of them spoke while Dareth worked on the disguise. He tried to focus on the application, but he kept getting distracted by Cyrus blinking, every tiny movement catching Dareth's eye. He could feel Cyrus' breath on his hands, feel the shape of his face. He didn't want to take too long, so he kept the disguise simple, and it was only a few minutes before he stood up from where he was kneeling in front of him and went digging through his bag for a mirror. "Ta-da!" he said, pulling it out and presenting it to Cyrus. "What do you think?"

Cyrus took the mirror and his eyes widened. "Oh, wow," he said. "That's… really me? I look… well, different!"

Dareth had gone for an older look on Cyrus, like an older person using makeup to appear younger. Anyone who saw him would probably be able to tell he was wearing it, but they wouldn't know who he was underneath – and, hopefully, they wouldn't be interested enough to find out. "I told you, I'm a master at this stuff," he said. "Though you're gonna need a change of clothes to complete the look. Do you have something different than what you normally wear?"

Cyrus nodded, still examining himself in the mirror. After a few moments where they both said nothing, he put down the mirror. "I should go get changed, shouldn't I?"

"If you want to go out, yeah." Dareth frowned. "I mean, do you? I don't wanna pressure you."

"And I appreciate that, I really do," Cyrus said. "So believe me when I say I want to go. What's life without a little risk, eh?"

Dareth grinned. "Yeah! Alright, what were you thinking of wearing?"

* * *

Cyrus chose a pink blazer over his usual black turtleneck and a pair of jeans. Dareth agreed it would go with the "older person trying to look younger" look. Once he had changed, Cyrus left the room with Dareth and they took the elevator to the garage.

"So where are we going?" Cyrus said brightly while they chose a car. "Did you have any ideas?"

"'Course!" Dareth took out his phone and opened up the map. "Let's see… we could go to the park? Get some fresh air?"

Cyrus hummed to himself. "That would be nice! I don't think there's been much, ah, gang activity there."

They found a van that would fit Cyrus' wheelchair and they both got in. It took a good thirty seconds after they closed the doors before they realized it wasn't self-driving.

"Whoops!" Cyrus said. "I guess it would be safer to have a driver come along with us, anyway…"

"Oh! Call someone down and see if they recognize you!"

Cyrus could barely restrain his giggles during the phone call. "Sorry for the short notice!" he said, flashing a grin at Dareth. "If someone's available, we would really appreciate it – oh, the pay's no problem, just don't tell Becky, haha!"

After confirming someone was on their way, Cyrus thanked the person on the other end and hung up. "They shouldn't be too long," he said once he put his phone down. "Alright, Dareth, this is it."

"Huh?"

"Your disguise is gonna be put to the test!" Cyrus laughed. "Though in the context of my garage, I wouldn't be surprised if I was recognized even like this. You know how you're used to people in similar contexts?"

Dareth shrugged. "Eh, I wouldn't worry. I've been doing this for a while."

"You're very confident! I like that." Cyrus glanced out the window. "Where did you learn? Did you go to acting school?"

"Huh? Nah, it was just something I picked up." Dareth leaned back in his seat. "'Bout… fifteen years ago, I was into the drag scene, and I picked up a lot of stuff there."

"Oh!" said Cyrus. "If you don't mind me asking, where did that interest, ah…"

Dareth cracked a smile. "Well, it was where all the other gay guys were, and I needed that community, y'know? Dunno what I would've done without it. That was where I met Mel, actually."

"Mel, your boss?"

He nodded. "We kinda drifted apart after a while, but when I was looking for a job, I applied at his place. Didn't even know he worked there! It was nice to see him again, I'll say that much…"

"Were you, ah…" Cyrus waved one hand in the air. "…together?"

"Nah, he was more of a mentor, y'know? Let me sleep on his couch for a week after I got dumped, haha!"

Cyrus smiled. "He sounds like a good man."

"Sure is," Dareth said, "sure is."

He looked out the window, but there was still no sign of the driver. Cyrus cleared his throat and Dareth turned back to him. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing, I just…" Cyrus hesitated. "I'm glad you're comfortable enough to be… _out_ to me."

Dareth laughed. "Honestly, I'm out to a lot of people, it's not a big deal to me."

"Still, even in this day and age, there's a lot of people who would react… negatively. So it means a lot to me." Cyrus folded his hands in his lap and took a deep breath. "I suppose it's only fair if I tell you I'm bisexual."

"Oh, uh…" Dareth struggled for an appropriate reaction. It was clear that to Cyrus, coming out meant a lot more than it did to Dareth. "Really, you didn't have to tell me – I mean, it's fine, I've got no problem with it, but I wouldn't want you to feel pressured, y'know?"

"I know, Dareth." Cyrus smiled. "Just don't tell anyone else, alright? You're one of very few people who know that about me, now."

"Oh yeah, 'course not. I know not to out people, y'know? Only reason I told you about Mel is 'cause he's like me, out to everyone."

"I assumed as much." Cyrus checked his phone. "Just got a text from the driver, they're on their way."

"Awesome," Dareth said. "Let's see what they think of your new look!"

Soon enough, there was a knock on the window. "Sorry," the driver said, "but I was told Dr. Borg was here?"

Cyrus and Dareth burst out laughing. It took a full minute before they were able to collect themselves enough to explain.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two days late this time… I've been busy. I have 2 jobs now! it's awful <3
> 
> please comment if you enjoy this fic. I know it's very, very niche, which is why comments are so important to me; it feels like I am just posting into the void without them. I don't usually beg for comments like this I'm just staring at my 4 (now 5) chapters and 0 comments like… bro… pls
> 
> things are going to get darker in future chapters. some of the content warnings come into play as soon as chapter 7. take care of yourself.

The driver introduced themself as Emmy, and they were a relatively new hire, having only been working at the tower for a few months. They hadn't actually met Cyrus Borg in person before, and they apologized over and over for not recognizing him. "Really, don't worry about it," Cyrus said. "The goal was to not be recognized, after all! I'd say to that end, we succeeded!"

"If you're sure, Dr. Borg," Emmy said. "Where am I taking you?"

There was a public parking garage close to their destination. Emmy plugged the address into the van's GPS and they set off. "I don't think I've met you before, either," Emmy said to Dareth. "Could I get your name?"

"It's Dareth, the Brown Ninja." He grinned. "Don't have the fancy powers the others have, but you could call me part of the team."

"Oh, wow! Is that how you met Dr. Borg?"

"In a way! I've always been his biggest fan, though."

Cyrus laughed. "Oh, stop, you'll make me blush!"

He already was blushing; his ears were bright red. "It's true!" Dareth said. "I've got the latest model of BorgWatch, my phone… uh, not much else, actually. But I've gone to all the midnight reveals!"

"Really! Even the first BorgWatch reveal?"

"Well, uh…" Dareth averted his eyes. "Becky told me I shouldn't mention that one."

Cyrus waved a hand in the air. "Becky worries too much. Yes, I got kidnapped that night, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been. I'm still here, and I still have one arm, so really, I've had worse."

"Uh," Dareth said, his eyes falling on Cyrus' right shoulder. "That's fine. We don't have to talk about it."

Cyrus blinked. "Right, of course we don't. Sorry."

Dareth smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Emmy cleared their throat. "The park isn't too far from here," they said. "Even with traffic, we'll be there in a few minutes. Dr. Borg, where do you want me?"

"Oh, well, I'm not expecting anything to happen, but if you could stay with the car, just in case we need you to pick us up, that would be wonderful."

"Sure thing."

They pulled into the garage. Cyrus handed Emmy some paper money once they parked – Dareth couldn't see how much it was, but the way Emmy's eyes widened, it had to have been a lot – and they got out of the car. "Elevators are that way," Emmy said, pointing out the window. "Do you know how long you'll be out?"

Cyrus looked at Dareth, who shrugged. "Alright," Cyrus said, "how about we let you know if it's more than two hours."

"Sounds good. Thank you, Dr. Borg!"

Cyrus waved and followed Dareth to the elevator. "So what exactly are we going to do in the park?" he asked. "I assumed we were just going to… sit somewhere? We already had lunch…"

"Sitting's good," Dareth said. "It's mostly just nice to get some fresh air, you know? Up there in your tower, you don't get a lot of it."

"That's true, sadly. I can't even open a window, sometimes – the wind can get pretty bad that high up…"

The park was filled with people on a sunny weekend day, and Cyrus hesitated as they approached it, stopping on the sidewalk before they crossed the street. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he whispered. "Even with your disguise…"

Dareth shrugged. "If you want, we can go back. I don't mind."

Cyrus took a deep breath and said nothing for a few moments. Dareth shifted his weight from side to side and tried to act casual.

Cyrus finally spoke. "Let's keep going," he said. "We've gone too far to back out now…"

Dareth couldn't help but laugh. "You sound like you're going to war, not the park! C'mon, let's find a nice place to sit."

They found a bench in the sun, which explained why it was empty; it was a comfortably warm day, but only in the shade. Dareth wouldn't complain if Cyrus didn't, though, and Cyrus looked happy. The makeup may have disguised him, but he still had his trademark lopsided smile. Dareth smiled, too, watching him.

"Oh!" Dareth said, standing up. "Wait here, I'm gonna go get something."

Cyrus' smile vanished. "You want me to wait here? Alone?"

"I'm not going far, you'll be fine."

"I…" Cyrus twisted his hands together. "I'm not really, ah, comfortable doing that."

Dareth quickly scanned the area. No one was paying them any attention, but if Cyrus wasn't comfortable, it was his decision. "Alright," he said. "You can come with. I was just gonna get us ice cream, anyway."

Cyrus exhaled and smiled up at him. "Really? You were going to pay for my ice cream? Don't you know who I am?"

"Yeah? Why not? My treat."

"Dareth, really." Cyrus took out his wallet and fished through it. "I won't miss the money, and you will. I don't have any bills smaller than a twenty, though…"

"Alright, alright." Dareth took the offered bill and gestured for Cyrus to follow him. "This way you can tell me what you want, too. Oh, I forgot – do you have any allergies?"

"No, no, not any that would come up in ice cream… unless they're putting celery in it these days, ha!"

"Celery? Didn't know you could be allergic to that." There was a short line for the ice cream stand. Dareth squinted at the list of flavors. "Lucky for you, there's no celery option, heh."

Cyrus chuckled. "I'm not deathly allergic, but I still shouldn't have any. Could I get mint chocolate chip?"

"Of course, of course. I'll get…" Dareth rubbed his forehead. "Huh, it's hard to read."

"Uh oh. Do you need glasses?"

"Heh, I hope not." The line moved them closer and Dareth could make out more of the flavors. "Alright, guess I'll get coffee."

They reached the front of the line. Dareth noted that Cyrus was fidgeting with the buttons on his shirt, so he ordered quickly and got their cones without any toppings. Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief when they headed back to the bench. "Sorry," he said. "I know I don't have to be nervous, but…"

"It's natural," Dareth said. "I don't mind, anyway. I'm just glad you wanted to go out with me, ha!"

Cyrus smiled up at him. "Well, it's been nice so far! Even if we're not out for long, it's a nice day to just sit in the park. Right?"

"Yeah, definitely."

Once they returned to the bench, Dareth handed Cyrus his ice cream and they started eating. "How does yours taste?" Cyrus asked. "I've never had coffee ice cream."

Dareth shrugged. "Eh, it's pretty good. They didn't get it wrong, at least."

Cyrus smiled. "I imagine it's hard to mess up ice cream. Have you ever had ice cream that was bad?"

"Nope!"

They sat and enjoyed their ice cream. Dareth kept glancing at Cyrus when he thought the other man wasn't looking. Cyrus' brow was furrowed, staring intently at the ice cream as he ate it. One could only wonder what he was thinking; maybe he was determining the most efficient way to finish it before it melted. Dareth smiled.

His own ice cream dripped onto his hand and he snapped out of it. "Whoops," he said, switching the cone to the other hand. "Oh well."

Dareth licked the drops up. Cyrus burst out laughing. "Sorry!" he squeaked when Dareth looked at him. "I just… did we not get napkins?"

"Heh, nope. Forgot them."

"Well, I suppose I can't judge you, haha!"

Dareth laughed too. "You're a great guy, did you know that?"

Cyrus' cheeks went pink. "You're too kind, Dareth."

"I mean it! You've done a lot of great stuff, and you're a great person to just hang out with!" Dareth grinned at him. "I'm glad we're friends."

Cyrus chuckled and smiled back. "Me too, Dareth," he said. "Me too."

* * *

Emmy picked the two of them back up shortly after they finished their ice cream. Dareth had managed to get his all over his face, and wiping it on his sleeve only did so much. "Stop that," Cyrus said with a laugh when Dareth went to lick his finger and rub it on his face. "I'm sure Emmy has tissues in the van."

The van didn't have tissues, but Emmy gave Cyrus a cloth from their coat pocket. Cyrus started dabbing at the smudges on Dareth's face. Dareth leaned away from him. "Hey, c'mon now," he said. "I can take care of that myself, can't I?"

"Hush, it's easier if I do it." Cyrus licked the tip of the cloth and rubbed a spot just to the side of Dareth's mouth. "Here, I think I've got it."

Dareth's face flushed and he didn't say a word until Cyrus took the cloth away. "There you go!" he said with a smile. "Do you want to be dropped off at your apartment?"

"Uh…" Dareth chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's fine. Did you have a good time?"

"Of course!" Cyrus beamed at him. "It was nice to get out of the tower and spend time with a friend. We should have lunch again sometime!"

Dareth grinned. "Sure! In the tower, or…?"

"Ah, in the tower. This was nice, but…" Cyrus hesitated. "I'm still nervous about going outside for too long. With the Sons of Garmadon activity, it's… risky. I'm glad we went out together this one time, but I'd rather not make a habit of it."

"Yeah, understandable," said Dareth. "I won't push you. I'm sure there's tons of stuff in the tower you can show me, haha!"

"There certainly is," said Cyrus with a laugh. "We'll figure something to do."

They spent the rest of the ride chatting with Emmy about the places they passed. Dareth almost didn't want to get out when they reached his apartment, but it wasn't like he could go back and sleep at Cyrus' tower. He allowed himself a chuckle at the thought.

"I'll see you soon, Dareth!" Cyrus said as he got out. "Keep in touch!"

"Of course! See you soon!"

He slid the door closed and waved as the van drove off. Still grinning, he unlocked the door and headed into his apartment.

"Maybe I can invite Cyrus to my place sometime," he said to himself. "Once everything calms down, of course…"

He looked around at the mess and picked a sock off the table.

"Heh, maybe not."

* * *

"We haven't seen any Sons of Garmadon around your apartment," Lloyd said over the phone, "but they have been in the general area. You said your boss is driving you home at night? That's good, keep doing that."

"Alright," Dareth said. "It's that bad, huh?"

"It's bad, yes. We don't know why they're targeting you, but it could be revenge for interfering with the kidnapping attempt. You should be careful."

"Heh, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Lloyd sighed. "Dareth, we don't know what the Sons of Garmadon are capable of. When I tell you to be careful, I mean it. Don't do anything stupid."

"'Course not, course not. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Guess so. Look, feel free to call Pixal if you need any help, alright? She's given you permission."

"Alright. Thanks, Lloyd."

"Stay safe," Lloyd said, and he hung up.

Dareth put his phone away and resumed picking up his laundry. Even if Cyrus wasn't ever going to see his apartment, there was no harm in cleaning up a bit, right? Maybe he could convince his landlord to give him back his security deposit when he moved.

Because he did have to move, probably sooner rather than later. The Sons of Garmadon knew where he lived, and Dareth had no intention of staying put in that case. He was already spending more time out, getting to work over an hour early and shooting the breeze with Mel until his shift started. It was a shame he had to leave this place, but hey, the landlord probably wouldn't mind seeing him go.

He got all the dirty clothes in a trash bag, grabbed his bag of quarters, and headed out of his apartment to the basement. He got all the way to putting the quarters into the washing machine before he realized he forgot his detergent. Dareth groaned and headed back up the stairs.

The door to his apartment was cracked open. "Huh," Dareth said out loud. "That's not good. I thought I'd locked it."

He shrugged and pushed it open.

"Hey, Brown Ninja."

Dareth froze. Standing in the center of the room was the same ess oh gee member he had encountered outside Borg Tower, grinning at him. He reached in his pocket for his phone, but Missy crossed the room in seconds and grabbed him, putting a knife to his throat.

"Not this time!" she hissed. "Did you really think you'd get away that easily?"

"Not… exactly." Dareth's eyes darted around the room, searching for something that could help him, but all he could focus on was the sharp metal against his neck. He was terrified to even breathe too fast. "If, uh, if it's money you want –"

Missy laughed. "We don't want money," she said. "We want you to own up to your mistake."

"Uh, what?"

She pressed the knife down just enough to hurt. "You were the reason we didn't get Cyrus Borg, and we know you've been hanging around with him. How about you help us grab him?"

Dareth's eyes widened. "No way! I'm not –"

Missy grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked down hard, jerking his head back and exposing more of his throat. "Think a little harder," she said. "We know where you work. We know where you live. We've been watching you, Brown Ninja. Don't think your ninja friends can protect you."

"I…" Dareth wanted so badly to say no, he wouldn't help them kidnap anyone, let alone Cyrus – but there was still the knife. "Can I… think about it?"

"Ha! You'll help us one way or another." Missy removed the knife and took a step back. "Think on this," she said. "If you try anything, we'll find out. You tell the ninja, we'll know. You tell Cyrus Borg's robot daughter, we'll know. God help you if you tell the police!"

She cackled and pushed past him to walk out the door. "See you later, Brown Ninja," she said, and left.

Dareth took deep breaths, rubbing his throat. He must have stood there for a good few minutes, his laundry forgotten, before he moved and took out his phone.

hey mel? >  
there's something i gotta tell you >  
can we meet? soon? >


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember the warnings. they're not applicable to this chapter, but they will be in the next.
> 
> sorry for the late update again. hopefully the next one won't be late. I have high hopes
> 
> thanks 4 reading, comment if u enjoy

When he knocked on Mel's door, the older man took one look at him and offered him a drink. "You look shaken, Brown. What happened?"

"Long story," Dareth said. "Could I just have water?"

Mel kept silent while Dareth told his story, from accidentally thwarting a kidnapping, to becoming friends with Cyrus, to the Sons of Garmadon showing up at his apartment. He stayed silent once Dareth was done, so Dareth kept rambling on. "I don't think I can tell Cyrus about this, he's already worried about me, and I don't want to give him more reasons to be, y'know? And if I tell the ninja, they'll tell Pixal, and Pixal will definitely tell him! I know you said you can't do much, but –"

Mel interrupted. "Are you going to do what they say?" he asked.

"The Sons of Garmadon?" Dareth said in alarm. "No! I'd never let them hurt my friend!"

Mel cracked a smile. "I didn't think so. You're a good man, Dareth." His expression turned back to serious. "But you've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble. Are you sure you can't ask the ninja for help?"

"They're already watching my apartment, and it didn't help!"

"You don't know, it could've been worse otherwise." Mel sighed. "I get your point, though. Look, you can crash here for as long as you need."

Dareth exhaled. "Thanks, Mel. Don't know what I'd do without you."

"But I need you to tell the ninja something about this. This lady said she knows where you work?"

"Yeah," Dareth said. The realization came a moment later. "Oh, no –"

"Look," Mel said. "I'm getting old. I have a hard enough time dealing with drunk homophobes. I can't do much against an honest to God gang. You can tell the ninja I spotted them around the bar and I'm worried about it."

Dareth nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll tell them."

"Thanks, Brown." Mel stood up. "I'll clean off the couch for you."

Dareth laughed nervously. "I should probably get more stuff from my apartment. I didn't exactly pack…"

"Sure, sure. I'll drive you over there." Mel glanced out the window. "Maybe tomorrow, though. It's getting dark out. You locked up before you left, right?"

"Yeah. Got my keys, too."

"That's good. You can sleep here for tonight, and we'll get your stuff in the morning."

Dareth nodded. "Thanks, Mel. You're a lifesaver."

Mel smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Just remember to clean up after yourself. No leaving dirty dishes around, y'know?"

"'Course! You won't even know I'm here."

"Really? That's a shame, you're good company."

Once Mel cleaned off the couch, Dareth sat and texted Pixal with a quick message, repeating what he was told to say: that Mel had spotted the Sons of Garmadon around the bar, and he was worried.

The response was instantaneous. "Thank you for telling me. Lloyd and I will investigate."

"thanks," he texted back, and put his phone away. It wasn't that late in the day, but he was already exhausted. Maybe he could take a half hour nap, wake up in time to help Mel make dinner or something. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.

His phone buzzed.

< Dareth?  
< Are you alright?

Dareth sat up and texted back.

yeah im fine >

< That's good. Pixal told me the SOG were spotted where you work.  
< I know you don't want me to worry, but I'm worried. :(

i dont mind it haha >  
nice to have u on my side >

< Of course!  
< And it's not just me! You have a lot of people on your side, Dareth.  
< Your boss, the ninja… probably others, I don't know all your friends.

Dareth laughed quietly.

yeah i know >

< Hopefully we can meet up again soon.  
< You're always welcome at the tower, I hope you know that.

thanks >  
that means a lot >  
i think im clocking out >  
been a stressful day >  
night cyrus >

< Goodnight, Dareth!  
< Stay safe. I'll talk to you in the morning.

Dareth smiled at his phone and lay down again. He felt Mel drape a blanket over him before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Dareth woke up to his phone buzzing out of control.

Mel hadn't emerged from the bedroom yet. Dareth had half a mind to turn off notifications and go back to sleep, but if it was Cyrus texting him, not responding would only worry him more. So he sat up, yawned, and looked at his messages.

< Dareth? Are you awake?  
< The SOG broke into my tower last night.  
< I'm safe, they weren't after me, but they stole an artifact that was entrusted to me.  
< Maybe now they won't need to kidnap me anymore, heh.  
< Sorry, I know this is a lot of messages.  
< Becky is distressed, to say the least.  
< I gave her the day off, so I have no one else to talk to.  
< Well, I have Pixal, but she's busy.  
< You're probably still asleep, though…

just woke up >  
you alright? >

< I've been better.  
< I think we'll have to hold off on your next visit to the tower.  
< I can't promise you'll be safe here.

Dareth frowned at his phone, his thumbs hovering over the keyboard.

im coming over >  
dont want u alone rn >

< You don't have to, Dareth.  
< I've been through worse.  
< I don't think I can get a car for you, either…

dw ill get mel to drive me >  
cant promise ill be there soon tho >

< …thank you, Dareth.  
< Just be safe, alright?  
< As safe as you can be, with all of this.

i hear ya >  
see u soon >  
soonish >

Cyrus didn't text back, and Dareth switched contacts. He didn't want to wake up Mel if he was still sleeping, so he sent him a quick "u up?" text and waited for a response.

The response came in the form of Mel's bedroom door opening. "Dareth? Everything alright?" 

"Sort of," Dareth said. "I mean, I'm fine, Cyrus is fine, but…"

Mel walked into the kitchen and started the coffee pot. "But something happened with him, right?"

"The ess-oh-gee broke into Borg Tower." Dareth took a deep breath. "I told him I'd go over there, keep him company. He shouldn't have to be alone right now, y'know?"

"Yeah, I get it." Mel looked back and cracked a smile. "I'll drive you once the coffee's ready."

Dareth exhaled. "Thanks, Mel."

"You better work extra hard at your shift tonight, alright? I'm doing a lot for you." Mel turned back to the coffee. "Man, I didn't get to say it last night, but it's pretty cool that you're friends with Cyrus Borg! How is he?"

"Oh, he's a great guy." Dareth smiled at the thought. "Sure, he does a lot of good things for the city, but really, he's just one of those guys who's great to be around. We went out and got ice cream the other day."

Mel turned around and raised an eyebrow. "You went _out?_ "

"Yeah! He said he was cooped up in his tower, so we talked about it, and I disguised him so he could head out without being recognized. It worked, too! His own driver didn't know who he was!"

"Really! Can't say I'm surprised, you're pretty good at that."

"What can I say? I learned from the best."

"You better not be talking about me, Brown, 'cause I was _not_ the best."

Dareth just laughed. Mel smiled at him and leaned against the counter. "You ever think about the old days?" he asked. "I know we've both got our own lives now, but man… I miss them, sometimes."

"I guess. Don't miss much about them, though." Dareth shrugged. "Definitely don't miss being homeless, heh."

"You know what I mean. I guess those days were harder on you than me." Mel looked up at the ceiling. "I miss going out, y'know? I don't get the chance to anymore, what with running the business."

Dareth nodded. An idea popped in his head. "Hey, we could go out for a day! Head to the park or something. How about it?"

Mel laughed. "I appreciate the offer, Brown, but I am far too old for you."

"What?" Dareth shook his head. "I'm not asking you _out_ out, just what me and Cyrus did. Go to the park, get ice cream…"

"Oh, am I supposed to interpret that as _not_ a date?"

Dareth's cheeks flushed. "No! I mean, it wasn't – I wasn't –"

He cut himself off, his mouth hanging open. All he could think of was Cyrus rubbing the ice cream off his face, how the warmth of his fingers felt through the cloth. Dareth hunched over and held his head in his hands.

He looked up when Mel sat down next to him and handed him a cup of coffee. "You've got it bad, huh?" Mel said with a half-smile.

"Eh…" Dareth tried to act casual, but his cheeks were still burning. "I mean, sure, I've got a crush, but it's not like it's gonna go anywhere…"

"I get it, I get it." Mel gave him a hard pat on the back and Dareth almost spilled his coffee. "But hey, I think you've got a chance! Forty-four years old and he's never been married, right? Might that mean something?"

"It's not that! He's _Cyrus Borg,_ and I'm just –" Dareth sighed. "I'm just some guy who hangs around the ninja."

"None of that, Brown," Mel said sharply. "I trust your judgement, and you say you're friends. Would he be friends with you if he were the kind of person to care about that?"

"I mean… he kind of has to, doesn't he? He can't hang around just anyone."

"But he hangs around you, right?" Mel smiled. "Maybe that means you're special!"

"I dunno, Mel…"

"What's going on? You're not one to lack confidence."

"This is different," Dareth said. "After the ess-oh-gee, I feel like… I'm not anyone special. Every time they threaten me, I have to call the ninja for help. One of them came into my apartment and I couldn't do anything! It's just…" He hesitated. "It's frustrating. The ninja have all their cool powers, and I don't really have anything."

"So you think he's looking for someone who can beat up everyone who tries to kidnap him?"

"It'd probably be good if I could."

Mel shook his head. "Look, Dareth, I don't know the situation. He might not even be interested in men, which makes all of this a moot point, right? But unless you think you'll be in danger coming out to him… it wouldn't hurt to test the waters, huh?"

"He, uh, already knows I'm gay."

Mel raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell him before or after you went to get ice cream?"

Dareth flushed. "Uh…"

"Okay, I'll stop interrogating you about it." Mel downed his own coffee and stood up. "All I'm asking is for you to not be so hard on yourself, y'know? It's not like you."

Dareth managed a smile. "I know, Mel. I know."

"You wanted to go see him, right? C'mon, you can take your coffee in the car."

* * *

Dareth's heart was pounding when he reached Borg Tower. Security met him the moment he got out of Mel's car. "You're Dareth, right?" one of the guards said. "Borg asked us to escort you."

"Right, right." Dareth waved to Mel as he drove away and followed the two into the lobby.

The lobby was empty; Dareth guessed that the public wasn't allowed in while the police investigated. He got in the elevator with the guards and nervously shifted his weight from side to side as it ascended.

He arrived in Cyrus' office.

"You're here!" Cyrus pushed his wheelchair forward and met Dareth as he got out of the elevator. "I'm so glad – did you have a safe ride? Are you okay? Oh, goodness… you two can go now."

He waved a hand at the guards. They nodded and left the room, Dareth waited for the elevator doors to close before clearing his throat. "Uh, would it be weird to hug you, or…"

Cyrus cracked a lopsided smile and held his arms out. Dareth leaned down and hugged him. Cyrus had a strong grip, and he squeezed Dareth tight, pressing his face into his shoulder. Dareth hoped Cyrus couldn't tell he had slept in these clothes.

The next moment, Cyrus released him and rolled back. "Thank you for coming," he said softly. "I really do appreciate it."

Dareth smiled. "It's no problem," he said. "Did you want to do something to get your mind off things? Obviously we'll stay in here, but…"

Cyrus took a deep breath. "Maybe," he said. "I… I don't know if I could get my mind off it. Are you up to hear me talk through it, instead?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm here for you, Cyrus."

He nodded, wringing his hands together. "I just – I like to talk through things, sometimes. Helps me understand where I went wrong, and where I can improve in the future. Where to start… you should probably take a seat, I might be a while."

Dareth took the offered chair and listened as Cyrus explained what he knew. "They managed to get inside without triggering any alarms," he said. "Next time, I'll make sure the whole room is alarmed, but I didn't want to make it more difficult for the guards… but there were no guards in there at the time. The Sons of Garmadon must have known their schedules… we increased security for my quarters, but nowhere else!"

Cyrus took fast and hard breaths. "Easy, Cyrus," Dareth said. "You can't be prepared for everything. You said you wanted to prepare for the future, right?"

"Yes, but…" Cyrus shuddered. "It's not enough. I patch security against whatever slipped through last time, and then the evil that constantly threatens Ninjago comes up with something new. I'm starting to think there's nothing I can do to stop them! Not the Sons of Garmadon, not the Overlord, not –"

"Whoa, whoa!" Dareth stood up and went to Cyrus' side. "You do so many good things, Cyrus, it's not your fault if you can't cover everything."

Cyrus shook his head. "I have to! It's my responsibility! I said I could protect the oni mask, and now it's stolen! Sure, we don't know what the Sons of Garmadon want with it, but that just makes it worse, because we don't know what they're doing next!"

He kept rambling, his shoulders shaking. Belatedly, Dareth realized Cyrus was having a panic attack.

"Hey," Dareth said. He knelt down next to him and took his hand. "You're not thinking straight. C'mon, deep breaths."

"But this is important! I might not get a second chance, and if I do –"

"You can think about that later, alright?" Dareth struggled to remember what he knew of panic attacks. "Take deep breaths, get yourself calm. Do you want me to stay?"

Cyrus inhaled sharply and let it out slow. "Yes. Yes, please stay."

Dareth nodded. "Want me to call anyone? Pixal?"

"No, I can't let her see me like this." Cyrus squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't… I should be the one protecting her, and I can't even do that right."

"Hey, she's with the ninja now, right? I'm sure Jay's parents feel the same about him."

"That's…" He took another deep breath. "…a fair point. Still, please don't call her. I can… I can get through this alone."

"You don't have to, Cyrus, I'm with you."

Cyrus looked up and met his eyes. "Right," he said, managing a smile. "You are."

He closed his eyes again and continued breathing deep. Dareth's knee was starting to hurt, so he shifted his weight and tried to find a comfortable position. Eventually, Dareth heard the elevator moving, and Cyrus opened his eyes.

"That might be the ninja," he said. "Or maybe just Pixal. I should probably get presentable…"

He rubbed his eyes. Dareth stood up and glanced at the elevator doors. "Should I go?"

"Oh, no, Dareth, you can stay. I need to free up a ride for you, anyway…"

The doors slid open and Pixal walked in. "The ninja and I are done for now," she said. "Father, how are you doing?"

Cyrus chuckled. "I'm as well as I can be," he said. "How are you? Did you discover anything?"

Pixal frowned. "Not more than we already knew. The ninja have a job at the Emperor's palace, where it's likely the Sons of Garmadon will strike next. There is also an oni mask there, so if they want to get all three…"

"Do you think that's what they're after?"

"It would make sense. The royal family should have extra protection anyway." Pixal leaned down and hugged him. "I have to go. I'll be back in a day or two, unless something happens."

Cyrus smiled and hugged her back. "Let me know either way, alright? Stay safe out there, Pixal."

"You too, Father." She straightened up and turned to Dareth. "Do you need a ride home? I could drop you off on the way."

Dareth glanced at Cyrus. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Not particularly." Cyrus smiled at him. "If you want to stay a little longer, that's fine with me."

"Alright. Thanks, Pix, but I'll stay."

Pixal nodded. "Very well. I'll keep an eye on your apartment for you. Take care. I love you, Father."

"I love you too, Pixal."

She went back to the elevator. Cyrus sighed when she was gone. "I never really thought about what the parents of the ninja must feel," he said. "I suppose it's similar. I'm so glad she has a new body. It was… difficult, when she was in Zane's head. Of course, I'm grateful he was able to keep her alive, but…"

"I get it," Dareth said. "It's nice to be able to see her, right?"

"Of course, of course." Cyrus let out a chuckle. "Was there anything you wanted to do, while you're here?"

"Well, I didn't have breakfast, so if your cafeteria's open…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: the character death & gun violence are in it. please stay safe readers.
> 
> remember to comment if you're enjoying this story. I'll try to update more frequently once my halloween store ends.

Dareth and Cyrus had brunch and chatted, Dareth asking about the latest products from Borg Industries and Cyrus rambling about them and other, tangential topics. It was nice to distract him, and the food was good. They spent a long time together, and while Dareth was loath to leave, eventually Cyrus had to get back to work, so Dareth texted Mel and said goodbye.

It was afternoon when Mel picked him up. "You mind coming with me to the bar?" he said on the drive. "I've got some work I need to take care of, and you have a shift tonight, anyway."

"Yeah, sure. Can I get a change of clothes, first?"

They went to Dareth's apartment. Once he had a fresh outfit and a small bag with necessities, Dareth returned to the car and let out a sigh. "Didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so I guess they didn't break in…"

"Good to know," Mel said. "Hopefully they'll leave the bar alone, too."

At the bar, Mel went straight to the office. Dareth left his bag in the break room and headed to the bathroom. When he came out, he figured he'd go see if Mel wanted him to do anything. Might as well get to work, even if he was here so early.

He heard Mel's voice coming from the office. Dareth stopped. He was probably on a phone call, best not to bother him until it was done.

He was in the middle of turning to head back to the bar when a different voice responded to Mel, one that sounded way too clear to be from the phone. Dareth froze. Mel would've told him if he expected someone to be here, and if it was someone he _didn't_ expect…

Dareth ducked into the bar and crouched behind the counter, his heart pounding. He needed a weapon. Best case scenario, he'd freak out the person Mel hired to handle the computers. Worst case… well, Dareth wasn't going to think about that.

No one was in the kitchen. Dareth took the biggest knife he saw, which was nowhere near the size of the ninja's swords, but it'd do in a pinch, right? Once he was armed, he crept back to Mel's office, clutching the knife in sweaty hands.

The voices were audible now.

"Leave Dareth out of this," Mel said. "He doesn't have what you want."

"Really." That was a deep voice he didn't recognize. Dareth gulped and inched closer to the door. "He has connections to the ninja, isn't that right?"

"You think he'd be working this crappy bar if he had somewhere better to go?"

"He has connections to the ninja, and _you_ have a connection to _him._ " That was Missy's voice. Dareth held in a gasp. "You know the consequences of going against the Sons of Garmadon, don't you?"

Mel laughed. "If Dareth has any sense in him, he'll forget about me and get the hell out of here. I'm not giving him to you."

"You're willing to die for him?"

Dareth's breath caught in his throat. He had to act. He had to act now. Why couldn't he move? Why was he still frozen? His hands were shaking so badly, he could barely hold the knife. He forced himself to take a step forward.

"Always," Mel said.

He was still fighting his fear when the gunshot rang out.

Mel screamed. Dareth felt more than heard the cry leave his throat and he charged forward, into the office and directly into the waiting arms of an enormous, grey-skinned man. The knife didn't even pierce through his vest.

"Ha!" The man laughed, lifting Dareth into the air. The knife clattered on the floor. "Looks like he gave himself to us!"

Dareth struggled and kicked, but the man's grip was so tight he could barely breathe. He heard Missy's laughter, saw the gun she held. "Let me go!" he managed to choke out. "Let me go! Mel!"

His eyes fell on his friend. Mel was half-fallen off his chair, leaning on the desk and clutching his chest. Blood soaked into his shirt and covered his hand. He looked up at Dareth and met his gaze.

"Sorry, Brown," he said, his voice strained.

"No," Dareth said, "no, no, Mel, this is my fault. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I –"

He yelped as the man slung him over one shoulder. "You have other things to worry about," the man said. "Try thinking about yourself, ha!"

Dareth kicked as hard as he could and reached towards Mel. "Put me down!" he shouted. "Let me go! Mel! Mel!"

Mel smiled at him and slowly fell onto the floor.

Dareth screamed wordlessly. "Put me down!" he cried. "Let me help him! I can't let him die! I can't let him die alone!"

"Too bad," Missy said, but the man holding Dareth paused. She glanced up at him, her brow furrowed, and abruptly, Dareth was dropped.

"Sure," the man said while Dareth picked himself up. "Missy, make sure he doesn't try anything."

Dareth barely acknowledged Missy's presence, even though she still had the gun she shot Mel with. He crawled to Mel's side, his stomach tight. "Mel," he whispered. "Mel…"

Mel took ragged breaths, still clutching his wound. "Hey, Brown," he croaked, looking up with a pained smile. "I'm… really sorry about this."

"This is my fault," Dareth said, "this is my fault. Mel, oh God…"

He covered his mouth to suppress his sob, tears running down his face. Mel shook his head. "It's not your fault," he said. "I… I don't want you to think…"

Dareth glanced back at Missy. "There's got to be something I can do," he said to Mel. "I can't – I can't let you die."

"I'm sorry," Mel said again. "Just don't come after me too soon, alright? I want you to get out of this alive. You've got people counting on you, even if you don't think so."

"Mel…"

Mel closed his eyes. "Mel!" Dareth shouted, and he grabbed his friend's bloody hand. "Mel, please, I can't lose you, I can't –"

"Make it out of this," Mel said, and he gave Dareth's hand a weak squeeze. "Make it out. Won't be so bad if I have someone to remember me."

He didn't say anything more, no matter how much Dareth sobbed and pleaded with him to stay.

* * *

There were more Sons of Garmadon in the bar. After Missy dragged Dareth out of the office, she had him clean up and start working. "You're a bartender, aren't you?" she said. "Do your job."

Dareth couldn't stop his tears from falling, even as the gang members demanded drinks from him. Coward, he thought. Useless, no powers, couldn't save his best friend. Mel died and he couldn't do anything. He called himself the Brown Ninja? He was a joke, and everyone knew it.

Killow – the name of the enormous man – didn't stick around for long, grumbling that he had work to do. Dareth kept his head down. None of the other employees showed up – with all the Sons of Garmadon hanging around, they must have known something happened. Would they call the police? Probably. The ninja would know something was up, too, if they didn't hear from him. And they wouldn't; Killow had crushed his phone before he left.

Eventually, when he looked up, it was night outside. Exhaustion weighed him down, but the Sons of Garmadon didn't give him a break until he lay his head down on the bar and fell asleep for about… thirty seconds, if he had to guess.

He was directed to the couch in the break room. Dareth lay down and stared at the ceiling, listening to the clamor from the bar.

He'd find a way out of this, wouldn't he? He always did.

The thought didn't reassure him.

He rolled over and pressed a pillow over his head.

* * *

Two days passed.

The Sons of Garmadon didn't let him leave the bar. He slept in the break room, snuck bites of food while he worked, and tried to keep his bathroom breaks to a minimum. Didn't want to make the Sons of Garmadon angry with him.

He heard snippets of what was going on outside from the people around him. The gang was "stepping things up," but he didn't know what that meant. Did it have something to do with the theft of the mask from Borg Tower? Dareth didn't dare ask.

That night, while he worked, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Dareth's eyes widened. Cole was clearly in disguise, but still recognizably Cole, and he stared at him for a few moments until one of the Sons of Garmadon grabbed Dareth's shirt. "Bartender! Didn't you hear me?!"

Dareth yelped. "Right, of course, right away!"

He lingered by an empty stretch of seats. The ninja approached him with someone else he didn't recognize. "Dareth?" he whispered. "What are you doing here?"

Dareth sagged in relief. "Oh, Cole, I'm so glad you're here," he said, keeping his voice low. "This was my job, but the Sons of Garmadon moved in and took it over! They…" Dareth thought of Mel, bleeding out on the floor, and his face twisted in grief. "You've gotta help me!"

"Sorry, Dareth, but we can't," Cole whispered. "We gotta keep our cover."

"We?" Dareth squinted at the man next to Cole. Now that he was looking for familiarity, he could identify him. "Zane? Is that you under there?"

"Keep it down," Zane said. "We will do everything we can to help you later, but right now, we are undercover, and we need information. Do you know anything about those two?"

He gestured to the balcony. Dareth followed his gaze with a frown. "Mr. E and Ultra Violet?"

"You know their names?" Cole said. "I mean, Mr. E isn't much of a name, but…"

Dareth nodded. "Can't tell you much more than that. No one talks to them, 'cause he doesn't talk, and she's off her rocker. They sure don't want to hang around me. Can't say I mind, heh…"

"Do you know anything else?"

"Bartender!" a man shouted. "Hurry up!"

Dareth winced. "Can't stay," he said. "Promise you'll come back for me, alright?"

He kept sneaking glances at Cole and Zane while he served the Sons of Garmadon. After a few moments of discussion in low voices, Cole marched to the karaoke stage, catching the attention of the crowd. Dareth kept his head down.

After fiddling with the microphone, Cole cleared his throat. "I'm Rocky Dangerbuff," he announced, "and here's something mean to sing!"

What played next was a happy children's song. Dareth gulped and busied himself with washing glasses. The Sons of Garmadon laughed at first, but soon started booing while the song dragged on and on.

Dareth looked up when he heard a _thud_ and the crowd gasped. His gut twisted when he saw Cole's disguise had slipped.

A cry rose up. "He's one of those ninja!"

Ultra Violet slammed her fist on the railing. "Grab him!" she shouted.

Dareth froze. He couldn't do nothing, not again, not when he knew what the Sons of Garmadon were capable of. He put down the glass and sized up the counter. If he could jump over it –

A hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Don't try anything, _Brown Ninja,_ " Missy hissed. "You're my responsibility."

She dragged him away. Dareth didn't put up a fight. He searched the room for Zane as Cole was dragged away, but he couldn't see him, disguised or not.

* * *

That night, while Dareth tried and failed to get a few hours of sleep, there was a knock on the window. He ignored it at first, but it kept going. He sat up and squinted in the darkness. He could still hear the Sons of Garmadon in the bar, but they had released him from his duties for the night. Was this a test?

There was nothing at the window but a piece of paper taped to the outside. His heart pounding, Dareth undid the latch and brought it inside.

_Dareth,_

_You are not alone. My father is aware of your situation and we are working to get you out. Do not put yourself in further danger. Stay strong._

_– P.I.X.A.L._

Dareth gripped the paper in trembling hands and allowed himself a smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello welcome back to chapter, I've given up updating every sunday but I swear, I'll finish the first draft soon enough and then I can catch up on revisions and start updating sundays again.
> 
> minor violence warning for this chapter, maybe. also alcohol.
> 
> remember to like comment subscribe if you enjoy! thanks 4 reading!

"Do we really need to keep him around?"

Dareth flinched and looked up. He put his head right back down again when he spotted Missy staring at him.

Ultra Violet burst out laughing. It took a long time before she regained enough control to speak. "Careful!" she said with another cackle. "I think he heard you!"

"So what?" Missy spat. "If we get rid of him, it won't matter?"

"Nah, we'll keep him." Ultra Violet lowered her voice, but Dareth still caught what she said next. "We told you, he's your responsibility. You blew the kidnapping because of him, so now he's your problem."

"Then why can't I–"

"'Cause I said so! Shouldn't that be enough?" She grinned. "Plus, if the ninja care so much about him, we can use him as a bargaining chip later. Make sure you keep him out of trouble until then!"

Missy growled, but said nothing. "Good!" Ultra Violet said. "Now watch him. The rest of us have to break in the newbie."

Dareth looked away. He didn't know who the newbie was; from what he could tell, the Sons of Garmadon regularly gained new members, but only a select few were brought into the deeper circles. Maybe the newbie had gotten lucky.

Missy slammed her fist on the counter, making him jump and nearly drop the glass he was holding. "I need the strongest drink you have, Brown Ninja," she snapped.

"Right away, ma'am!" Dareth said, and he rushed to make the drink.

Ultra Violet joined the others outside, leaving Dareth alone with Missy. The sounds of their motorcycles faded away, and silence descended on the bar. Dareth collected the glasses left behind and washed them one by one.

Missy snorted. "Didn't your boss have a dishwasher?"

Dareth flinched. He didn't respond.

"I'm talking to you, Brown Ninja."

"Yeah," Dareth squeaked. "We have one."

"Why aren't you using it?"

"I like washing them."

"'Course you do," Missy said. She pushed her empty glass off the counter and it shattered on the floor. "Get me another one."

When she was midway through her third drink, it occurred to Dareth that Missy was very drunk, and she was the only one the Sons of Garmadon had left with him. The beginnings of a plan formed in his head, and he slid her a fourth drink without waiting for the command.

Missy laughed. "Making yourself useful, huh?" she said. "Maybe I'll keep you. Maybe."

Dareth forced a laugh of his own. "I'm told I'm good company," he said, remembering Mel and how Missy was the woman who killed him.

"Maybe if you keep your mouth shut."

"Ah heh…" Dareth stopped talking.

Missy slowed down on the fourth drink, and she didn't leave the bar. Dareth inched towards the back room, closer and closer, until she snapped at him. "Where're you going?!"

Dareth flashed a strained smile. "Restroom," he said. "Be back in a flash."

"They right here, Brown Ninja," Missy said. "Don't leave my sight. You're my responsibility, remember?"

Dareth gulped and nodded. "Do you… want another drink?" he asked.

"I shouldn't," Missy said. "Ultra Violet will be pissed if she sees me like this, hah."

"Right, right." Dareth went back to cleaning glasses.

While Missy nursed her drink, Dareth tried to think of his options. He could… attack her? The thought was terrifying, but it could work. She was here alone, and he was pretty sure she didn't have any weapons on her.

He snuck a glance, saw the gun on her hip, and snapped his head away. Never mind.

"What're you looking at?" Missy demanded.

"Nothing!" Dareth said quickly. "Just, uh…"

"Forget it." Missy took a long drink and finished her glass. "Get me some food."

Dareth ducked behind the counter to put something together. When he straightened up again, the door opened.

Missy jerked her head up and glared at the person entering. "Hey! Identify yourself!"

Dareth didn't recognize the woman who walked in. She had white hair tied back in a ponytail, a young face, and she wore a similar style to the other gang members. Her green eyes flashed as she cracked a smile at Missy. "New recruit," she said. "Who are you?"

"You're not supposed to be here, y'know."

"Why not?" The stranger slid into the seat beside Missy. "Everyone else gets to be here."

Missy snorted and scooted her chair away. "Keep your distance."

"Noted," said the stranger, and her fist collided with Missy's face."

Dareth gasped and jumped back. Missy slid off her chair and collapsed on the floor. She didn't get up.

"Unconscious," said the stranger. "Let's go."

"What?!" Dareth yelped. "Who are you?!"

The woman nodded, and her appearance shifted. Her skin flickered to a metallic silver, her hair changing to the same hue, and her eyes flashed green again, clearly artificial. Dareth's jaw dropped. "Pixal?!"

"Yes." Pixal motioned to the door. "Now let's go. I had to take off my suit for the hologram to work, and I have no weapons. My mech is outside. Is there anything you need to take with you?"

Dareth looked around at the trashed bar. "Nothing I'm gonna risk my life for," he said.

"Good. We need to move."

Pixal grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door. Dareth stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet and let her lead him outside. No one tried to stop them as they ran; Dareth kept glancing back at the bar, but Missy wasn't following him.

When they reached the Samurai X mech, Pixal paused. "I'll have to carry you," she said. "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Uh…"

She climbed into the mech without waiting for an answer. "Hold on," she said, and grabbed him in one giant hand. Dareth squeaked and closed his eyes as they took off.

The flight seemed to last forever. Dareth's stomach flipped and threatened to expel its contents. Finally, Pixal landed and gently put him down on top of Borg Tower. Dareth fell to his knees and took deep breaths, hugging himself. He heard Pixal say something, but he barely comprehended the words. Something about the ninja? Of course, she had to go help them. no point wasting time on a little guy like him.

"Dareth! Dareth, are you alright?"

He forced himself to look up and meet Cyrus' eyes. "'M fine," he croaked. "I'm just…"

Cyrus pulled him into a hug. Dareth didn't argue.

* * *

He managed to recount the events of the past days while sitting in Cyrus' office. Cyrus sat next to him and kept a hand on his shoulder.

"We knew something had happened when you didn't respond to my texts," Cyrus said. "I'm so sorry, Dareth. If we had known sooner…"

Dareth shook his head. "It's not your fault," he said. "It's… they wanted me."

Cyrus tightened his grip. "They're not getting you," he said. "Pixal and the ninja are well on their way to stopping the Sons of Garmadon, and then they'll be locked up for good. After everything they've done to this city, they deserve it."

Dareth rubbed his eyes. "Yeah," he said, "yeah."

He stared down at his lap. Cyrus cleared his throat. "It's nearly morning," he said. "I can get a bed set up for you. I'd… rather you didn't go back to your apartment, given the circumstances."

Dareth nodded. "Here is fine, yeah. I don't… I don't wanna go back either."

Cyrus went with him on the elevator and showed him to an unused apartment. He pulled sheets out of a closet while Dareth stood there, still numb from his sudden rescue. "Here," Cyrus said, handing them to him. "I'd make the bed myself, but, ah, my disability makes it difficult."

"Yeah," Dareth said. "I mean… it's fine, Cyrus, I'll just, uh…"

The sheets felt so heavy in his arms. He put them down on the bed and sat on the bare mattress. He barely registered Cyrus' hand on his shoulder again. "Mel's gone," he said, even though Cyrus already knew.

"It's not your fault," Cyrus said. "I want you to know that."

"Maybe it was," Dareth said. "I should've gone somewhere else for help. I put Mel in danger, and now he's gone."

"Everyone else involved was a person with agency, and they all made their own decisions. You didn't pull the trigger, Dareth. Not even close."

Dareth sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "If I had done something different–"

"Dareth, I know how it feels." Cyrus put both hands on his shoulders and turned Dareth to face him. Dareth scrunched up his face and turned away. "I do," Cyrus said firmly. "I've made so many mistakes, so many decisions that ended in so much pain for the people I love… please, Dareth, look at me."

Cyrus put his hand on Dareth's cheek. Dareth couldn't feel any body heat through the glove. He looked at Cyrus' face and saw the other man was crying, too.

"I'm sorry," Cyrus said. "I shouldn't be talking about myself. But you're not alone, Dareth. It hurts so much to see you like this, and I swear I will do everything– _everything_ in my power to make the Sons of Garmadon pay for this."

Dareth choked back a sob. "Don't," he managed to say. "I can't… if something happens…"

Cyrus hesitated, and Dareth kept going, the words spilling out of his mouth. "Mel said he would die for me–but I'm just a little guy, I can't–he shouldn't have said that, he should've given me up, he'd still be alive, and maybe–maybe–"

"Oh, Dareth…"

Cyrus hugged him, and Dareth couldn't contain himself any longer. He hugged Cyrus back and sobbed into his shoulder, letting out an unending flow of grief. Kept busy by the Sons of Garmadon, he hadn't the time to process Mel's death, but it was impossible to ignore. He hadn't expected to outlive him, with Mel being older, but it wasn't something he thought he'd have to think about for at least another decade. Mel was gone.

"I'm sorry," Cyrus said, "but I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone like this. There's a couch in my room, if you don't mind…"

"You sure?" Dareth croaked.

"I'm more worried about you. If you'd like somewhere more private, I can try to arrange that."

Dareth shook his head. "If you're alright, it's fine with me." A few days ago, he'd be flustered at the idea of sharing a room with Cyrus, even if Cyrus' bedroom was technically separate from the couch, but after everything, he could hardly think about his attraction. "I don't have a change of clothes, though…"

"Sleep first," Cyrus said. "You can shower and change and do anything else you need when you wake up. I care about you a great deal, Dareth. I know you can get through this."

It was nicer when Cyrus said it than when he tried to tell it to himself. Dareth nodded, slowly. "Okay," he said, "okay. I'll get through this."

* * *

He had a fitful sleep. In the little he got, Dareth dreamed of a long bar stretching into the distance, seats and drinks repeating endlessly, and he knew heaven was at the end but as far as he ran, he couldn't reach it. He woke up with tears staining his face.

Dareth sat up with a groan. At first, he didn't recognize his surroundings–but no, he knew he was in Borg Tower. Cyrus' living room, to be exact. He was still tired, but he saw the sunset streaming in through a window, and realized he had slept all through the day. Dareth got out of bed and started gathering up the blankets, just for something to do.

He tried to be quiet, but while he was folding the bed back into a couch, the bedroom door opened. "Dareth?" Cyrus said, already dressed. "You're awake?"

Dareth straightened up with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, didn't want to bother you…"

"It's fine, really. I'm just surprised to see you up, after the state you were in. Are you sure you don't want to try and sleep more?"

"Don't think it'd help, heh."

"If you're certain." Cyrus took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "I don't have good news, I'm afraid."

Dareth's heart sank. "What happened?"

"Last I heard from Pixal, Lloyd had been captured by the Sons of Garmadon, and they have all three oni masks." Cyrus glanced out the window. "The remaining ninja are on their way to rescue Lloyd and stop their plans to resurrect Lord Garmadon. Pixal said she would be unavailable for some time. There's nothing we can do but wait."

He sounded calm, but his voice trembled. A chill gripped Dareth's heart. "There's got to be something," he said. "We've got to do something, right?"

Cyrus shook his head. "Anything we do runs the risk of putting ourselves and the ninja in more danger. Pixal told me she would let me know the outcome as soon as possible. Until then…" He took a deep breath. "Dareth, would you watch the sunset with me?"

"There's got to be something," Dareth repeated, but he couldn't think of anything they could do. He collapsed in a chair by the window and stared at the sky outside, all pink and red with gold glowing clouds. Cyrus came up next to him and put a hand on his back.

"It doesn't get easier," he said.

"What?"

"Waiting." Cyrus took his hand away. "I've never been… I've always been most useful helping from a distance. I can supply the ninja with tools and weapons, but I can't fight for myself, and I don't have the skills you do. I do what I can, and then I have to wait, while my daughter and her friends risk their lives."

"Do you really think there's nothing we can do?" Dareth asked.

"At the moment? Yes." Cyrus glanced at his phone. "Maybe when Pixal contacts me, she'll have new information that will give us a way to help, but until then…"

Dareth ran a hand over his face. "This sucks," he said.

"It does."

The colors of the sunset were fading, night creeping across the sky. "You should eat something," Cyrus said. "So should I. Are you up to going to the cafeteria?"

"Eh…" Dareth shrugged. "I'm not exactly presentable, after wearing this for a couple days."

"You don't have a change of clothes, do you?"

Dareth shook his head. "Right," Cyrus said. "With your permission, I can send someone to your apartment. I doubt the Sons of Garmadon would still be watching it, with their manpower needed elsewhere, but I'd rather you didn't go yourself."

"Uh…"

"Let me call someone to bring food to us, alright?"

While Cyrus made the call, Dareth continued watching the sunset fade away to nothing more than a faint glow on the horizon. Even then, he stared into space until Cyrus tapped his shoulder and told him the food was ready. Dareth didn't feel hungry still, but he forced himself to eat anyway. At least the food stayed down.

They quickly ran out of things to do. Dareth didn't want anyone to risk going to his apartment, even if his clothes were gross. Nothing to do but wait, huh? Cyrus didn't seem up to talking, so Dareth stayed quiet, too. The hours stretched on and on, past midnight and into the early morning.

The phone rang, startling them both. Cyrus nearly fumbled it in his haste to answer. "Hello? Pixal? Oh, thank goodness–"

Dareth couldn't hear what Pixal was saying, but Cyrus smiled. "I'm so glad you're alright," Cyrus said. "Is everyone else…? Okay, good. I'll let Dareth know. I love you."

He put his phone down and let out a long, slow breath. "They're alright," he said to Dareth. "They rescued Lloyd, stopped the ceremony, and the Sons of Garmadon have been rounded up and arrested. It's finally over."

He smiled at Dareth, tears pricking at his eyes. Dareth couldn't manage a smile back. That was it? he thought. The Sons of Garmadon were defeated, and all he did was sit in Borg Tower? He shook his head and rubbed at his eyes.

Cyrus' smile disappeared. "I'm sorry," he said. "It must feel hard to believe, right? Pixal and the rest of the ninja are coming here. I'm sure they'll be happy to know you're alright."

"Yeah," Dareth said, "yeah."

Cyrus frowned and pushed his wheelchair forward. Wordlessly, he wrapped Dareth in a hug. Dareth hugged him back, squeezing his eyes shut and willing his tears away.

It was over. The ninja won.

So why did everything still feel hopeless?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! this is an intense chapter. I hope you enjoy it! remember to comment if you do!

They set up plates of food in one of the meeting rooms and waited for the ninja. They didn't have to wait long; Pixal was first to walk in, going directly to her father and hugging him tight. Dareth wasn't expecting a hug of his own, so it was a surprise when she released Cyrus and went to Dareth, wrapping her arms around him. "I heard about Mel," she said. "I'm sorry, Dareth."

"It's…" No, Dareth wasn't going to say it was fine. "It's over now," he said instead. "You guys won, right?"

Pixal let go and nodded. "The Sons of Garmadon are being taken to Kryptarium as we speak," she said. "For now, we have a moment to rest."

Dareth managed a smile. Looking at the others, Dareth spotted Misako with the ninja, along with… "Huh," he said, watching the toddler hop around and giggle. "Who's the kid?"

"Master Wu," Pixal said.

"No kidding?"

"He was aged down in the time vortex. He appears to be rapidly returning to normal, so it should only be a few weeks until the ninja have their teacher back."

"So he's aging rapidly?" Cyrus said. "What happens if he doesn't stop?"

"We still have the Reversal Blade, so we can stop the process at any time. Until then, he has thousands of years to catch up on, so we've decided it's best to let him continue as is. I'm not worried."

She glanced at the corner of the room. Dareth followed her gaze to Lloyd, sitting in a chair by the wall and facing away from everyone else.

"But you are worried about Lloyd," Cyrus said.

"Harumi was not kind to him," was all Pixal said.

Dareth picked at the clothes Cyrus loaned him; they were a bit too tight around the waist. The rest of the ninja were crowded around the food, so Dareth joined them and made himself a plate. "Hey, Dareth," Cole said. "Sorry we couldn't help you at the bar. Glad Pixal was able to get you out."

"Don't worry about it," Dareth said. "I saw what happened after we talked. You alright?"

"Me?" Cole laughed. "I'm great! We all made it out alive, right?"

Dareth thought of Mel and his face fell. Cole sucked in a sharp breath. "Shoot, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"I know," Dareth said. "Don't worry about it, I get what you mean."

Cole excused himself to sit with Jay. Dareth looked at his plate and forced himself to take a few bites.

"Has Lloyd eaten anything?"

Dareth glanced to the side in time to see Nya shake her head. "No," she said to Kai. "Do you think we should bring him something?"

"I dunno," said Kai. "He said he wanted to be alone, and I don't wanna be like, 'No way, bro, I know you better than that,' even though I'm right. I don't think he'd take it well."

"Maybe ask Misako to do it? I know she's worried about him, too."

"I dunno…"

Dareth figured neither of them were going to do anything, so he quietly made a second plate and carried it over. Lloyd didn't even look up as Dareth dragged a chair over and sat next to him.

"Hey, Green Ninja," Dareth said.

Lloyd sighed. "What is it?" he said. "Did Kai send you?"

"In a sense. You should eat something."

He put the plate on Lloyd's lap and handed him a fork. Lloyd wrinkled his nose and poked at the food. "I'm not hungry," he said.

"Neither am I, but we gotta eat." Dareth hesitated. "Did Pixal tell you guys what happened to me?"

"Some of it. Not in detail." Lloyd put the fork down. "I know your friend died, if that's what you're getting at."

Dareth fought back his grief and took a moment to breathe before he spoke again. "I don't really know what you're going through," he said, "and you don't know what I'm going through, but… if you need to talk, I'm here. That's all I wanted to say."

Lloyd didn't respond. Dareth sat there for a few long moments before he stood back up. "I'll leave you alone," he said. "You should eat, though. Your friends are worried about you, buddy."

"Thanks, Dareth," Lloyd said.

Dareth returned to Cyrus, who was talking to Misako. They stopped their conversation when they saw Dareth approaching. "How's Lloyd?" Misako asked. "I saw you with him…"

Dareth shrugged. "Hard to say. I hoped I'd at least get him to eat, but I dunno how well I did. Gave him a pep talk, though."

Misako smiled. "Thank you for that. I should talk to him, too, but…" Her smile slipped away. "I'm worried."

Dareth looked back at the corner, watching Lloyd pick at his food. At least he was eating.

The other ninja started to relax, laughing and joking with each other. Dareth stayed close to Cyrus and Pixal, while Misako kept an eye on Wu. Eventually, Lloyd left his corner with a mostly-empty plate and joined the others, a half smile on his face. Dareth smiled, too.

"Pixal? What's wrong?"

At Cyrus' concerned tone, Dareth turned to look at Pixal. She stood stiff and straight, staring into space, and just as Dareth opened his mouth, she pointed at a TV screen. It immediately flickered on, no doubt at Pixal's silent command.

"…I'm getting verification that the freed prisoner was the recently apprehended Jade Princess, and the apparent leader of the Sons of Garmadon, Princess Harumi. Security footage caught the two on video."

They played a grainy clip of Harumi running out of the prison, followed by a second, unnaturally tall figure with four arms. Dareth's eyes widened. "Holy cow, that looks like…"

He couldn't finish the thought. Lloyd stepped forward and stared at the screen.

"Maybe there's some other Son of Garmadon we didn't catch," Cole said nervously.

"But he has four arms," said Zane.

"Mr. E had four arms!" Jay said. "Y'know. Sometimes?"

"It can't be him!" Kai said loudly. "We stopped the ceremony–this is impossible!"

Dareth shuddered and took a step back. On the screen, Gayle held out the microphone towards a man with his arm in a sling.

"That's–" The man swallowed and started again. "That's when she said, 'Kneel before Lord Garmadon.'"

"It's him," Lloyd said.

He turned to face the rest of the group, his expression hard. "Mom," he said, "can you get Wu someplace safe?"

"Of course," she said, "but what about you?"

"We have work to do," Lloyd said.

Cyrus spoke up. "I have a bunker in the tower's basement," he said. "It's the safest place imaginable. You can stay there for as long as you need."

Pixal nodded. "Father, I would like you and Dareth to join them."

"Right. Dareth, Misako, come with me. I'll show you there at once."

Dareth hesitated. "Hang on," he said. "I've got a beef with the _ess oh gee_. Isn't there some way I can help you guys?"

He looked at the ninja, waiting for them to respond. None of them met his eyes. He heard Nya sigh, just loud enough to be audible. Dareth swallowed and thought of Mel, how he wasn't brave enough to save him.

"Dareth," Pixal said. "If Garmadon reaches the bunker, you will be the last line of defense. I am trusting you to protect Misako, Wu, and my father in that scenario. Alright?"

Dareth took a deep breath. "Alright," he said. "I won't let you down."

* * *

Cyrus sent his employees to their homes and advised the residents of the tower to evacuate. Once that was done, he led Misako and Dareth to an elevator, and they descended until Dareth's ears popped.

The bunker had numberous layers of security–an eye scanner like the one on Cyrus' bedroom door, a keycard, a passcode. "I keep it very safe," he told them. "There's no way anyone can get down here without my permission."

Wu giggled and flailed in Misako's arms. She adjusted her grip on him and nodded. "I believe you," she said. "After everything that's happened to Ninjago…"

The bunker was large and comfortable, resembling Cyrus' room in the tower. "Two bedrooms," Cyrus said, motioning to the doors. "I didn't plan for many people to come down here, but it should at least support the four of us. We have enough food for a month, but we won't need it for that long. I'm hoping we only spend a few hours down here."

"That would be nice," Misako said. "So we wait here until…?"

"Pixal is the only one who can contact us in here. She will inform us of the outcome."

Dareth sat down and rubbed his eyes. "Waiting again, huh?" he said.

"I'm afraid so." Cyrus sighed. "I really do hope everything will turn out alright, but… you know what they say. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

"The worst," Dareth repeated. "I wonder what that would be."

Cyrus patted Dareth's hand and rolled himself to a cabinet. "I have snacks, if you're interested."

They ate a few bites of the month's worth of food and sat around entertaining Wu. He enjoyed Dareth's funny faces, laughing and clapping his tiny hands. Minutes stretched into an hour, and Dareth didn't want to admit it, but he was bored.

A computer screen turned on, showing only static. "Father, are you there?"

"Pixal!" Cyrus rolled to the screen, where Dareth and Misako joined him. "Pixal, do you have any updates?"

"Not good ones." A series of _thuds_ were heard in the background. "Lloyd locked us inside the Bounty, and is planning to confront Garmadon alone."

Misako gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. "You have to stop him," she said. "You have to! Even without Garmadon, he can't possibly fight off all of Harumi's followers by himself!"

"We know!" came Kai's voice. "Working on it!"

Zane spoke up. "I'm more worried about Lord Garmadon," he said. "The police said… it was like Harumi only brought back the worst parts of him."

"Out of the way!" Cole shouted, followed by a loud _crash_.

"The door's open," Pixal said. "I have to go."

Dareth looked at Cyrus. His mouth was set in a thin, trembling line. "Please be careful, Pixal," was all he said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Pixal said, and the screen went dead.

Wu looked at the scared faces around him and started to cry. Misako picked him up, her shoulders shaking.

"Man," Dareth said. "What's that kid thinking?"

"I know what," Misako said. "He thinks he can get his father back. But the oni masks…" She shook her head. "I've studied them, long ago. They can't really bring someone back to life."

"Then who did they bring here?" Cyrus said. "Someone freed Harumi from prison, and he certainly looks like Lord Garmadon."

"If not him…"

She didn't finish the thought. Wu stopped crying and stared at her. Misako tried to smile at him, but the toddler had an eerily serious expression, and in his child voice, he spoke:

"My brother is coming," he said.

* * *

Pixal didn't call back for a long time. Misako handed Wu to Dareth and started pacing. Dareth tried to make more funny faces for the kid, but his heart wasn't in it, and eventually Cyrus found a pen and paper for Wu to draw with. The hours ticked by.

Finally, the screen turned on again. "Father?"

"Pixal!" Cyrus exclaimed. Misako stopped pacing and rushed to stand next to him. "Pixal, what's the situation out there?"

Pixal was silent for a few moments. "We didn't get there in time," she said.

"What do you mean?" Misako said. "What happened to Lloyd?"

"He's badly injured. We don't know what to do. I…" Pixal hesitated. "I fear… we have failed."

Wu hobbled over to Misako and tugged at her pant leg. "Lloyd," he said.

Misako didn't respond to him, so Wu moved to Dareth. "Lloyd!" he said, shoving his paper into Dareth's lap.

Dareth gently pushed him away. "I know, lil guy, but not right now…"

He glanced at the paper. The same symbol, drawn over and over. Dareth picked up the paper and squinted at it.

"Can you get him to a hospital?" Cyrus said, his voice pitched with fear. "They must be able to help him there, right?"

The scribbles on the paper looked familiar. An image flashed in Dareth's mind. "Do you think Mistaké could do anything?" Dareth asked.

Cyrus glanced back at him. "Who?"

Wu hopped up and down. "Lloyd!"

"Yes," Misako said. "Yes! Pixal, take Lloyd to Mistaké! She'll know what to do!"

Pixal said nothing at first. "Yes," she finally said. "It's the only chance we have. Kai, Nya–"

The feed cut off.

"Pixal?!" Cyrus cried, moments before the lights shut off. Dareth yelped and jumped to his feet, banging his shin against the table.

"What happened to the power?!" Misako shouted.

"I–I don't know!"

Dareth identified Cyrus' panicked breathing and started moving towards him. "Don't worry, everyone," he said. "I've got…"

He took out his BorgPad and turned the flashlight on. With the light, he managed to find Cyrus and crouch next to him. "Can you do anything to fix the power from here?" he asked. "Like, emergency lighting, or…"

Cyrus swallowed hard and nodded. "There should be a panel in this room…"

"My brother is coming," Wu said.

Dareth looked at the toddler and couldn't suppress a noise when he saw his eyes reflecting the light, like a stray cat. "Uh," he said, "don't think that's normal…"

Misako ignored him and picked up Wu. "How do you know?" she said.

Wu stared at her, his lower lip trembling. "I know," he said.

"We'll be safe here," Cyrus said. "Even with the power out, this is still the safest place in Ninjago City."

A _boom_ sounded from above. The ceiling rattled.

Dareth put a hand on Cyrus' shoulder. "Just gotta stay put for a bit, huh?" he said.

Cyrus clutched Dareth's hand and pulled it to his chest. "Hope for the best," he whispered, "prepare for the worst."

Another _boom_ sent vibrations through the room. "Maybe it's good the power's out," Dareth said. "He–they won't know we're in here."

_Boom_.

"My brother is coming," Wu repeated.

Misako held him tight. "Does he know we're here?"

_Boom_.

"He's close," Wu said.

Dareth stayed with Cyrus and tried to steady his breathing. When a minute passed with no noise, he thought maybe they were safe. Lord Garmadon couldn't find them, and they could stay in the bunker for as long as they needed.

A horrible _crash_ shook the room. Dareth gasped. Cyrus gripped his hand hard enough to hurt. Wu screamed, and kept screaming while Misako frantically tried to shush him. A screeching sound filled their ears, metal grinding against itself and tearing apart.

"How do we get out of here?" Misako cried.

"I don't know!" Cyrus yelped. "I didn't think anyone would be able to get in–there's no back door!"

Dareth took a deep breath and pulled his hand away from Cyrus. "Everyone," he said, "Get behind me."

Cyrus stared at him in alarm. "Dareth, you can't possibly think–"

"Pixal told me I'd have to protect you guys if they found us." His heart was pounding, but he forced himself to walk towards the door. "I guess they found us, heh."

"She shouldn't have said that!" Cyrus shouted. "Dareth, we need to hide!"

"Where?" Misako shook her head. "He knows we can't escape."

The door they had entered through groaned and crumpled inwards. Dareth yelped and jumped back just as it was hurled forward, smashing against the wall and barely missing him. He stumbled and sat down hard. He was quick to stand up again. He wouldn't fail them, not this time, not like he failed Mel.

Dareth stood and faced Lord Garmadon.

Garmadon glared at him with red eyes, his body dripping purple blood from his exposed ribcage, breathing hard through bared teeth. Dareth gulped and took a step back. "I won't–" He choked on the words and tried again. "I won't let you hurt them."

Behind him, Cyrus said his name. Dareth couldn't acknowledge it.

Garmadon snarled and extended one of his four arms. "Then die," he said, and his hand alighted with purple flames.

Dareth was barely able to raise his BorgPad in time to block the energy ball sent at him. The impact knocked him backwards and he dropped it on the ground, fried. Dareth landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him, and then Garmadon was standing above him.

"Stop!" Misako shouted. "You want me, not him!"

As soon as Garmadon's eyes were off him, Dareth pushed himself up and punched Garmadon in his open wound. Garmadon grabbed his wrist and yanked him into the air. Dareth yelped and kicked at him. He managed to get another hit on the exposed bone, but Garmadon barely reacted to the blow. He slammed Dareth into the wall and dropped him.

"You are just a distraction," he said, and turned away.

His head spun, and adrenaline made it hard to think. Dareth got to his feet and saw Garmadon advancing on Cyrus, Misako, and Wu, purple energy sparking in his hand.

"I'm more than that!" he shouted. "I'm the Brown Ninja, and–and I keep my word!"

Garmadon paused. "Really," he said, turning to face him.

Dareth had intended to tackle him, fight him away from his friends, but his legs were frozen. He couldn't move, couldn't even look away from Garmadon as the undead man came closer, his eyes narrowed.

"Then I suppose," Garmadon said, "I'll have to get rid of you."

"Dareth!" Cyrus screamed.

Dareth looked past Garmadon and saw Cyrus' terrified face just before a hand grabbed his throat.

Dareth choked and clawed at Garmadon's fingers, but his grip refused to loosen. He couldn't breathe, and his mind only had one thought: _I'm going to die_. He fought back, but in his panic, it only amounted to useless flailing. He was going to die. He was going to die and _Mel didn't want him to die_.

Garmadon dropped him.

Dareth crumpled to the ground, gasping. Someone pulled him to his feet; once his vision cleared, he recognized Nya at his side. "We have to go!" she said. "I don't think–"

She cut herself off and yanked him to the side. Another one of Garmadon's energy balls exploded against the wall next to them. Dareth barely managed to stay on his feet before he was moving again, Nya half-dragging him to the door. "I'll keep him busy!" she shouted. "You get out of here!"

Outside the destroyed entrance to the bunker, there was a hole where the elevator used to be. Lloyd was helping Cyrus maneuver his wheelchair through the rubble, Misako standing next to him. "There's a ladder," Lloyd said to Dareth. "Borg, we'll have to leave your wheelchair behind, but–"

Misako thrust Wu into Lloyd's arms and ran forward, pushing past Dareth to stand by Nya. Lloyd's eyes widened. "Mom, what–"

"We'll catch up," Misako said. "Go!"

Dareth glanced back at Nya and Misako, facing down Garmadon, and nodded at Lloyd. "Your mom knows what she's doing," he said. "C'mon. You take Wu, I'll take Cyrus." He hesitated. "I mean, if he's okay with–"

"Do you think I can climb out on my own?!" Cyrus blurted out. Dareth shut his mouth and picked him up. Cyrus wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face in his shoulder.

Climbing the ladder one-handed was difficult, but they made it to the top. Lloyd straightened up and adjusted his grip on Wu. "I'm going to find the others," he said to Cyrus and Dareth. "This might be the last chance to get what you need from your homes. Make the best of it."

He ran out the door. Dareth was frozen for a moment longer before Cyrus shifted in his grip.

"Dareth…"

"Yeah?" he said. "Your place is right here, so if you need anything…"

"Dareth," Cyrus repeated. "I thought you were going to die."

Dareth let out a nervous laugh. "I thought we were all gonna die."

"You don't understand!" Cyrus put a hand on Dareth's cheek. "I thought _you_ were going to die."

Dareth stared into Cyrus' eyes, unable to think of anything but the warm hand against his skin, until Cyrus' face moved closer and he placed his lips on Dareth's own.

The kiss was brief. Cyrus pulled away, his face flushed. "We shouldn't stay," he said. "There's… there's nothing here I need. If you left anything in your apartment…?"

Dareth chuckled. "I've got everything I need right here," he said, adjusting his grip on Cyrus. "My apartment's pretty messy, anyway."

Cyrus managed a lopsided smile. "I need to contact Pixal. I'll do that when we find somewhere to rest. Let's go."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome once more to chapter, have fun & remember to like comment subscribe if you enjoy

They all saw the destruction of Destiny's Bounty.

The colossal stone warrior crushed the ship between its hands with a horrible sound and the debris rained down over the city. It was impossible to tell who was on it from the distance they were at; Dareth ducked down into the ditch and prayed that the ninja had found a way off in time.

He put Cyrus down and sat next to him, watching the river flow by. Cyrus put a hand on his shoulder. "Pixal should be here soon," he said. "She said Nya and Lloyd were with her."

Dareth nodded. "They'll be okay," he said to himself. "We'll all be okay…"

He shivered. Sitting on the riverbank, he felt the cold ground sucking the heat out of him. Dareth got a vision of Cyrus slipping down into the water and put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

Cyrus rested his head on Dareth's chest. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For… pushing myself on you like I have been."

Dareth made a strangled noise. Cyrus politely didn't comment. "I've been attracted to you for a while now," he said instead, "but I didn't understand my feelings until you took me to the park. After that… I've always been one to rush into things, and I've scared people off before. I was trying not to do that, but all this happened, and–and I thought I was going to lose you forever."

"Cyrus…"

"It's fine if you don't reciprocate," he continued, his voice shaking. "I… I understand if you don't. I'm almost forty-five and I don't know how to act like a normal human being. I buried myself in computers and artificial intelligence for most of my life, shut myself away from the world…"

"Hey," Dareth said, "Cy."

"I just wanted you to know. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I'm so, so sorry–"

Dareth leaned down and planted a kiss on Cyrus' forehead.

"Ah," Cyrus said, and he stopped talking.

Furious car honking from above made them flinch, but no one found them. "Look," Dareth said when the noise subsided, "I know things are awful right now, but I like you a lot. And…" It wasn't even a week ago that he had that conversation in Mel's apartment. "…Mel thought I should give it a shot, y'know, back before I knew you liked me, too. I think we should give it a shot."

Cyrus sighed and smiled up at him. "That would be perfectly fine with me."

A boat drifted down the river towards them. Dareth tensed until she recognized Nya waving. She, Pixal, and Lloyd helped him and Cyrus aboard. "Misako found a place for us," Nya said. "We'll meet her there."

"Great," Dareth said. "What about the others?"

Nya's shoulders tensed. Dread crept over him as Dareth looked at Lloyd and Pixal and saw nothing good in their faces.

It was Lloyd who finally spoke: "They're gone."

Cyrus gasped. Dareth's heart sank. "They're…"

"They were all on the Bounty when it was destroyed." Lloyd turned away. "Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane… Wu. They're gone.

"I…" Dareth couldn't breathe. "I'm so sorry, Lloyd, I…"

What could he say? None of this should've happened. Dareth closed his mouth and went to the edge of the boat, staring into the river water. He didn't have any more tears, not for the ninja, not for Mel, not for everyone else who had died because of the Sons of Garmadon. All he felt was numb.

No one said another word until they reached the warehouse.

* * *

Misako hugged Lloyd tight, only for a moment before her son pushed her away. "We need to plan," he said. "The Sons of Garmadon are setting up in Borg Tower. We just need to figure something out–if we strike while they're still preoccupied…"

"You need to rest," Misako said. "You've gone through so much, Lloyd. All of us have."

Lloyd grit his teeth. "If we don't do anything–"

"We will do something," Nya said, "but we can't do anything like this. Get some sleep, Lloyd. I'll keep watch."

Lloyd didn't respond, but he let Misako lead him away. Dareth caught her saying she had beds set up before they went into a side room. He tightened his grip on Cyrus. He couldn't get the image of the Bounty's destruction out of his head, the towering monster crushing it like paper. How could they fight Garmadon, if that was the power he wielded?

Pixal snapped him out of it. "Father, you and Dareth should sleep, too. I'm going to look for supplies."

"You're going back out?" Cyrus said in alarm. "After everything that's happened?"

"Lloyd was right. The Sons of Garmadon will be inactive while they move in, and I don't need to sleep. This is the safest time to find food, water, anything we need to survive."

Cyrus breathed in, out. "Alright," he said, his voice shaking. "Please, Pixal, be careful."

Pixal briefly spoke with Nya and left. Cyrus watched her go before looking up at Dareth. "Let's find the beds," he said. "I… I just want this day to be over."

"Yeah," Dareth said, "me too."

Misako showed them a small room with six hastily-made bunks. Lloyd lay on top of one, facing the wall. Cyrus and Dareth took two that were next to each other and lay down. Neither of them spoke a word, hyperaware of Lloyd in the room with them, and eventually, they fell asleep.

* * *

Dareth woke up to a sharp hunger in his gut. It took a moment to realize where he was and what had happened. He sat up and looked around.

Cyrus was still asleep, one arm hanging off the bunk, his glasses folded on the floor. Dareth watched him for a few moments and decided not to wake him up. Misako was asleep, too, but the other three beds were empty. Dareth got up and crept out of the room without waking either of them up.

Lloyd, Nya, and Pixal were sitting at a table. Pixal looked back at Dareth when he approached them. "You're awake," she said. "We have some food, if you're hungry."

Dareth forced a smile for a moment before he dropped it. "Yeah," he said, "that'd be great."

They didn't have much. Dareth made himself half a bowl of rice and decided not to put anything on it. Pixal went back to her conversation with Lloyd and Nya, too quiet to hear. Dareth figured he wasn't welcome to join them and walked away.

He spotted a wheelchair sitting in the corner. It didn't look like one of Cyrus', which had no armrests and a low back; it was more like something you'd find in a hospital, made for someone to be pushed in. Pixal must've gotten it last night, 'cause Dareth didn't remember it being here when he went to sleep. He sat next to it and ate his food.

Misako exited the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. "Lloyd," she said, "have you eaten?"

"He has," Nya said. "I made sure of it."

"Is my father awake yet?" Pixal asked.

Misako nodded. "I spoke to him, briefly."

Pixal stood up. "Excuse me, Lloyd, Nya. I'll be back soon."

She walked towards Dareth and took the wheelchair. "I didn't get to tell you earlier," she said to him. "Thank you for bringing my father here safely. If something had happened to him…"

Dareth managed to smile up at her. "I'm just sorry I couldn't do more," he said.

"You stood between him and Lord Garmadon. There is nothing more I could have asked of you." Pixal did not return the smile. "But I worry there may not be a safe place for him here."

"Yeah, I know. I'll do my best to protect him."

Pixal turned away without responding and took the wheelchair to the bedroom.

The smile slipped off Dareth's face. He looked down at his empty rice bowl and thought about Garmadon's hand around his throat, of Mel bleeding out in front of him. The Sons of Garmadon kept him trapped in the bar for three days and he couldn't do anything until Pixal came to rescue him. Missy threatened him in his own home.

"Once everyone's awake," Lloyd said from the table, "we need to have a meeting. The Sons of Garmadon are looking for us. For me. We need everyone we've got."

Dareth didn't think they needed him.

Cyrus came out of the bedroom with Pixal pushing his wheelchair. Dareth stood up when he saw him. "Hey, Cyrus," he said. "How you doing?"

"About as well as everyone else, I'd assume." Cyrus moved to grab his wheels and bumped his arms on the armrests. "Oh, dammit."

"Sorry," Pixal said. "I couldn't find the kind you use."

Cyrus shook his head. "Don't apologize, Pixal, it was far too kind to risk getting a wheelchair for me at all. I imagine I'm just as useful to you without one, ha."

"You do not have to be useful, Father."

"Everyone to the table," Lloyd said. "I want to talk to all of you."

Pixal pushed Cyrus to the table and sat down next to him. Dareth sat down on Cyrus' other side and put a hand on his shoulder. Cyrus smiled at him; this close, Dareth could see the exhaustion in his face.

"I hope you had a better night's sleep than I did," Cyrus said. "Though I imagine we're all…"

He didn't finish the thought. "Yeah," Dareth said. "I get it."

Lloyd cleared his throat. Cyrus and Dareth cut their conversation short and turned to him.

"Here's what we know about the Sons of Garmadon," Lloyd said. "They're setting up in Borg Tower. Lord Garmadon controls that huge stone monster, but he has to be actively controlling it–it doesn't have a mind of its own. They're already threatening the civilians… if we have allies, I don't want them to risk their lives for us. We're on our own."

"If I may," Pixal said, "I would like to propose something."

Lloyd nodded. "Go ahead."

"Lord Garmadon has taken over Ninjago City, but he has not expanded his reach to other areas of Ninjago yet. There may be safety outside the city."

"But how would we leave?" Nya said. "How _can_ we leave, when the people here need us?"

"That is not what I'm suggesting." Pixal hesitated. "Lloyd, I would like to get my father to safety."

Cyrus made a surprised noise. Lloyd glanced at him before looking back to Pixal. "Uh," he said, "did you talk to him about it?"

"She did not!" Cyrus exclaimed. "Pixal, I thought I made it clear I would be staying to help!"

"Father, you are in great danger here, and there is little you can do to defend yourself if something happens to me." Pixal shook her head. "You can't stay here. You and Dareth will be going to Ignacia."

"Wait, what?" said Dareth.

"Hang on," Nya said. "Pixal, you can't just make decisions for other people. You didn't talk to anyone about this!"

"We are talking now, aren't we?" Pixal frowned. "My father is disabled and Dareth cannot hold his own in a fight. I will not risk their lives keeping them here."

Dareth stared at her with his mouth hanging open.

"This is–" Cyrus sputtered wordlessly for a moment before trying again. "This is ridiculous! If not for Dareth, I might be dead right now!"

"I understand, Father, which is why–"

"You clearly don't!"

"–which is why I am sending him with you," Pixal said. "I trust him to get you out of here, but Lord Garmadon nearly killed him. I will not allow it to happen again."

Cyrus slammed his fist on the table. "Dareth is not the only person in the room who has lost a fight to Garmadon!"

Lloyd took a sharp breath. Misako whipped her head around to fix Cyrus with a glare. "That was uncalled for, Dr. Borg."

Cyrus winced. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean–"

"Enough," Lloyd said. "Pixal, if Borg and Dareth want to stay, then they'll stay. I'm not going to go against their wishes, and neither are you. I won't stop you from trying to convince them, but clearly, if you thought that would work, you would have actually talked to them about your plans."

Pixal said nothing, just stared at Lloyd with glowing green eyes.

"We can't let disagreements get between us," Lloyd continued. "We're alone against the Sons of Garmadon. If they win, they kill us all. I meant it when I said we need everyone we've got. Does anyone have anything else, or can we move on?"

After a few moments of silence, Pixal stood up and said, "Someone needs to keep watch," before leaving the room.

"Alright," Lloyd said when she was gone. "I said we needed to have a meeting with everyone, and she just… alright, fine."

"Maybe she just needs to cool down," Nya said. "What do you think, Dr. Borg?"

Cyrus shook her head. "Why are you asking me? I may have built her, but I clearly don't know what goes on in her head anymore."

Lloyd sighed. "We'll try again later. Just… someone has to get more food. We're already low, and it's only going to get harder to find. Who wants to volunteer?"

Dareth nodded. "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Cyrus said. "I don't want you to…"

"Don't worry, I'll be back safe and sound." Dareth forced a smile. "Gotta make myself useful somehow, right?"

"Dareth, Pixal shouldn't have–"

"It's fine with me," Lloyd interrupted. "Just be careful. Nya, let Pixal know he's going. Mom, there's…" He hesitated. "…something I need to talk to you about."

"Anything, dear," Misako said.

With one last glance at Cyrus, Dareth stood up and followed Nya to the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a new week, a new chapter. gonna try to get back on the Sunday Update groove (ignore that I'm a day late for this one). have fun

The warehouse was freezing; it was almost nice to get out into the city, at least temperature-wise. It was only a week after the Sons of Garmadon had taken over, and the only thing keeping the city from falling into chaos was the threat of the colossal stone warrior standing by Borg Tower. Dareth tried not to look at it. He kept his head down, pulling a hood over his face while he searched for food.

The food supply had been disrupted after the takeover, and while Dareth was pretty sure some trucks were still coming, not everyone wanted to do business with the new Emperor Garmadon. The food the city did get went up in price, and very few people were willing to give out food for free.

Dareth pawed through a dumpster he had luck with before, but it looked like someone else had gotten to it first. He sighed and climbed back out. Guess he had to find one of the other dumpster locations he had memorized. He picked a sticky piece of tape off his leg and turned the corner.

There was a woman staring at him, just stepping out the back door of the restaurant. Dareth's stomach flipped. "Uh," he said, and mentally cursed himself for talking. "Sorry," he said, because if his voice was already recognizable why bother hiding it? "I'll get, uh, out of your–"

The woman shushed him and went back inside. Dareth stood there with his mouth open until she came back out with a small bag. Wordlessly, she walked to him and shoved it into his arms. It was warm to the touch.

"Oh," Dareth said. "I… thank you?"

She smiled, put her finger to her lips, and disappeared back inside.

Dareth didn't move for a few moments longer before he heard the familiar motorcycles of the _ess-oh-gee_ and snapped out of it.

* * *

He made it back to the warehouse with the food. Dareth pushed the trash out of the way of the entrance and pushed it open, blocking it off again behind him. "I'm back," he announced to the room. "How's everyone… uh…"

Lloyd looked over his shoulder and Nya kicked his legs from underneath him. "No distractions!" she said while Lloyd picked himself up. "You have to always be ready to fight!" In a softer tone, she added, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Lloyd stood up and rubbed his arm. "But I don't think this training is going to help me get my powers back."

"Was that training?" Misako's voice had an edge to it. "It looked to me like she was beating you up."

"She wasn't, Mom."

"Now's a good time to break, anyway." Nya jumped down from the makeshift stage and walked over to Dareth. "It looks like you got something good this time."

Dareth peeked inside the bag before handing it to her. "Sure looks like it," he said. "I guess one of the cooks around here felt sorry for me, heh. Where's Cyrus?"

Nya glanced at Misako, who cleared her throat. "Sleeping," she said. "He stayed up all night and most of the day working on Pixal's mech. She practically had to drag him away."

Dareth's face fell. "Again?"

Misako nodded. "If you could take a plate to him, I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Don't worry about waking him up; I don't want his food to get cold."

"Right, 'course I will."

They split the food–a roast chicken, still in one piece–and Dareth took two plates to the beds. The door wasn't latched; he pushed it open with his foot. "Cyrus?"

"Dareth?" Cyrus pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it? I should get back to work…"

Dareth sat on the bed next to him and put the plate in his lap. "You should eat. I got something hot for once, heh."

Cyrus put on his glasses and stared at his food. "I'm sure the others need it more than me," he said. "You're the ones risking your lives…"

"C'mon, Cy, you still need to eat. Please?"

"Well, only because you asked nicely."

They sat and ate in silence. Dareth kept a close eye on Cyrus' plate, and when Cyrus put down his fork and opened his mouth, Dareth spoke first. "I know you're still hungry. This is the first meal you've had all day, right?"

"I was asleep for most of it," Cyrus said. "Really, Dareth, I'm fine. You can have the rest."

"No way!" He pushed Cyrus' plate closer to him. "How am I supposed to eat knowing you're going hungry?"

Cyrus sighed. "I can't win with you, can I?" he said.

"Naw, I love you too much."

Dareth leaned over and kissed Cyrus' forehead. Cyrus managed a smile. "Thank you, Dareth," he said. "I love you too."

When they were both finished with their food, Cyrus gave his empty plate to Dareth and motioned to his wheelchair. "Could you help me up, Dareth? I'm sure I've slept enough by now."

Dareth wanted to tell him to sleep more, but decided against it. "Sure, Cy. Pixal might get mad, though."

"Oh, not at me. Well, maybe at me. But not… regardless, she'll be fine."

Pixal was nowhere to be seen in the warehouse. When Cyrus asked Misako, she told him Pixal went out to gather information. "By herself?" Cyrus said in alarm. "Not that it would be a good idea otherwise, but…"

"I told her," Nya said, walking over to them, "but she insisted. Honestly, I don't know what she's been thinking. She can't be taking risks like this."

Cyrus shook his head. "I'll talk to her once she's back," he said. "I feel like she's been avoiding me. Not all the time, but…"

"This is stressful on all of us," Misako said. "I'm not surprised some of us have been… acting out."

"We can't afford to," Lloyd said. "Borg, you need to talk to her as soon as possible. You might be the only person she'll listen to."

"Of course. I'll do my best."

"Anything I can do in the meantime?" Dareth asked.

Misako shrugged. "You already got food for us… if you wanted to go to bed, you've earned it. It's getting late."

It wasn't that late. Dareth bit his lip and glanced at Cyrus. "Nah, I think I'll stay up. Holler if you need me, alright?"

He retreated to an unused table with Cyrus and sat down. Cyrus' hands were twitching in his lap; without Pixal's mech to work on, Dareth figured he was restless. "Hey," he said. "Anything I can do to get your mind off things?"

"I don't know," Cyrus said. "I'd like to keep myself busy, but what can I do? Build machines out of scrap? I've certainly done it before."

He spat the last sentence with such bitterness, Dareth knew there was something more under it. "It's alright," he said. "I'm sure we can find something. Want to brainstorm for a bit? Talk things through?"

Cyrus took Dareth's hand and squeezed. "That would be nice," he said. "Where do I start… I wanted to do some software upgrades to the mech's navigation systems, but it's difficult to test when I can't make any backups."

He talked for a while, rambling on and on while toying with Dareth's hand. Dareth didn't understand most of what he was talking about, but it was good enough that he was talking about it. The sensation of Cyrus gently moving his fingers was nice, and they had eaten a hot meal, and for a moment, everything seemed alright.

There was a noise outside. Cyrus tensed. "Might be Pixal," he said quietly. "Has to be. No one else knows we're here."

Dareth squeezed his hand before standing up. "Probably is," he said. "I mean, if something happened…"

When Pixal burst through the door, Lloyd, Misako, and Nya all stood up to meet her. She spoke before any of them could say anything: "The Sons of Garmadon are coming."

"Now?!" Cyrus cried.

Lloyd grit his teeth. "Where are they?" he said. "How much time do we have?"

"Not enough. They're sweeping the block. We need to leave now."

There was no time to complain. Dareth rushed to the beds to grab anything left in there, and when he emerged, everyone else was making their way to the door with whatever supplies they could carry. He could already hear motorcycle engines close by.

The five of them made it out of the building, where the engines were that much louder. "They'll know we were here," Misako whispered. "What do we do?"

"Get as far away as possible," Lloyd hissed. "Move!"

They fled.

They made it to the next block without being noticed. Dareth slowed down and allowed himself to breathe.

"We have to keep going," Lloyd said. "Here, this looks like…"

He trailed off. Dareth straightened up and looked around. All around the alley were pieces of red woof and broken machinery.

Misako gasped. "This is…"

They stopped. "This is what's left of the Bounty," Nya said.

None of them had words. Lloyd and Nya moved closer to each other, walking out into the center of the alley. In the back of his mind, Dareth knew it was dangerous for them to be out in the open, but what could he say to them? Nya lost her brother. They both lost their friends. So had Pixal, Misako, and Dareth himself.

Lloyd crouched down and picked up a slip of paper that Dareth recognized as an old photograph. "They're gone," he said quietly. "They're really gone."

"Wait," Nya said.

Everyone looked at her. Nya frowned down at the wreckage and moved a heavy piece of metal aside. "There's only one engine here," she said. "Where did the other one go?"

"Someone might've taken it for scrap," Pixal said. "What are you saying, Nya?"

Lloyd turned the photo over and picked a leaf off of the back. "Mom," he said, "do you recognize this?"

He held the leaf out to Misako, who took it and peered at it through her glasses. "I can't be sure," she said, "but it almost looks like… traveler's tea?"

"I don't want to have false hope," Nya said quietly. "But… we don't know for sure what happened here."

Misako held the leaf in a trembling hand. "We need to find Mistaké," she said. "If they had traveler's tea, she would have given it to them–and if she did, she might know where they went."

Lloyd folded up the photo and slipped it in his pocket. "They might be alive," he said, voicing the hope none of the others could bring themselves to.

"Hey! I found them!"

Fear spiked through Dareth's heart, and he whirled around.

A group of bikers were clustered at the end of the alley, grinning at them. Dareth looked back behind him just as more bikers pulled up at the other end, the huge form of Killow among them. Surrounded. Next to him, Cyrus gasped and grabbed for Dareth's hand.

Mr. E jumped off his bike, carrying a red oni mask. As the six of them stood frozen, he put it on, and his form changed. Two extra arms grew out of his midsection, his body growing taller to accommodate them, and he pulled out one sword for each arm and approached them.

Dareth pulled his hand out of Cyrus' grip. "Everyone," he said, "get out of here. I'll hold them off."

"Dareth, no!" Cyrus cried.

"There's too many of them!" Nya shouted. "None of us could take them alone!"

"We have to stick together," Lloyd said, and he moved to Dareth's side. "No one else in the city is going to help us. We need everyone we can." He raised his voice and shouted at Mr. E: "Bring it on!"

Mr. E charged forward. Dareth yelped and took a step back. Behind him, he could hear Killow's motorcycle approaching from the other side. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, he had to fight but he was so scared–

A man charged out in front of them. Mr. E slowed down; before he could stop, the man punched him with a huge metal gauntlet. Mr. E fell back and hit a loose piece of wreckage that fell on top of him.

The man laughed. "In Metalonia, it is not polite to gang up on people!" he said.

Lloyd gasped. "Karlof?!"

Killow shouted. Dareth whirled around and saw another man appear from the shadows–literally, his body formed out of the darkness where there had been no one before, and he joined Nya in fighting off the cyclists on the other side.

"Looks like–" Someone whizzed by Dareth, too fast to see. "–you could–" A man in red sunglasses appeared briefly to flash a smile and slug one of the Sons of Garmadon off their bike. "–use our help!"

"The elemental masters!" Misako cried.

Lloyd's eyes widened. "You came to help us?!"

Karlof ran past them to lunge at Killow, knocking the larger man off his motorcycle. Dareth heard beeping fill the air and saw a garbage truck backing towards them. "Oh no," he said, "I think there's more of them!"

A red-haired woman poked her head out of the driver's side and smiled at them. "Skylor!" Nya cried. "How did you know where to find us?"

"We've had our ears to the ground," Skylor said. "Everyone, get in!"

Karlof cut his attack short and rushed to her with the rest of the group. Pixal helped lift Cyrus' wheelchair into the truck and took a step back. "I need to get the mech," she said. "I will return."

"Please be careful, Pixal," Cyrus whispered.

Pixal nodded and ran off as the truck accelerated, leaving the Sons of Garmadon behind. Dareth took deep breaths, lying in the grime that coated the bottom and breathing in the stench.

Nya laughed and put an arm around Lloyd. "Guess we're not as alone as you thought," she said.

Lloyd managed a smile back. "Guess not," he said. "We have friends."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have fun!

The truck pulled into a garbage depot, Pixal following close behind in the Samurai X mech. Dareth hopped out of the truck once it stopped and helped Cyrus down. Skylor climbed out of the driver's seat and stretched. "Good to see you," she said to Lloyd. "Been a while, huh?"

"I can't thank you enough," Lloyd said. "We would've been goners without you."

"It's the least I can do, after all you did to help me," Skylor said. "Here–you've met Karlof, Griffin, and Shade, and here's Tox and Neuro, Masters of Poison and Mind."

Dareth looked in the direction she gestured and saw a green-haired woman and older man walking towards them. Neuro waved and pressed one hand to his forehead. Dareth felt the impression of a greeting inside his head; he shuddered. Good thing Neuro was on their side if he could read minds.

Tox stopped just in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?" she asked.

Dareth shook his head and puffed up his chest. "I'm Dareth, Master of… uh…"

"Dareth is one of the bravest people I know," Cyrus said. "He's saved my life more than once."

"Huh," Dareth said. "Really?"

Cyrus smiled at him. "Really, Dareth, I don't know what I would've done without you."

Karlof walked over and eyed Cyrus' wheelchair. "This is not a good chair for you," he said. "Would Borg-man like Karlof to make it better?"

Cyrus turned to him. "Could you do that? It was the only one Pixal could find, and while I'm grateful she was able to find one at all, it's not comfortable to self-propel in…"

"Of course! No problem for Master of Metal." Karlof laughed. "Just tell Karlof what he needs to fix."

"Everyone, over here," Lloyd said. "We have to discuss our next steps."

Cyrus stuck close to Dareth, keeping a wary eye on the other elemental masters. "When you say someone's been waiting for us," he said, "you don't mean anything unsavory by that, right?"

"Of course not!" Nya exclaimed. "Skylor's a friend, for sure."

"Sorry, I just…" Cyrus took a shuddering breath. "I'm not exactly a trusting type, these days."

Dareth patted his shoulder and took a seat next to him. The others gathered around the table, leaving one spot open. "Hey," Tox said. "Where is she? She's the one who told us you guys were in trouble, so why isn't she–"

"She told you?" Misako frowned. "Who is she, and how did she know?"

"Oh, I have my ways."

An old woman slowly walked to the table from a side room. Lloyd's eyes widened. "Mistaké?"

She smiled and sat herself down in the empty seat. "Hello again, young Garmadon," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't have my powers," Lloyd said. "I mean–I'm fine, but what about my friends? We found a traveler's tea leaf in the wreckage–do you know where they are? Are they alive?"

Mistaké nodded. "Oh, yes, yes," she said. "Though they have passed beyond my ability to see, they were not destroyed with the Bounty. It is up to them to find a way back…"

"Back from where?" Lloyd pressed. "Can we help them? What do we do?"

Skylor put a hand on his shoulder. "Have patience," she said. "Mistaké's memory isn't what it used to be."

Mistaké chuckled. "I'm a little slow, yes. But in this case, patience is indeed the key, for your friends have to find their own way. There is nothing we can do to help them from here."

"And you're sure they're alive?" Misako said. "Where are they?"

"Another realm," Mistaké said. "The realm of your ancestors, Lloyd."

Lloyd took a deep breath. "The First Realm," he said. "The Realm of Oni and Dragons. But I can't sit here and do nothing–if they're in trouble–"

"As Skylor said, you must have patience." Mistaké's expression turned serious. "More than that, you must endure."

"Endure?"

"The only way to help your friends is to endure until they return home," she said. "I assure you, they are doing everything in their power to come back to you. You must stay alive until they get here."

"But…" Lloyd clenched his fists. "My father needs to be defeated as soon as possible. I can't defeat him without Wu and my friends." He looked around. "Is–is there anyone else? This isn't all the elemental masters–has anyone heard from the Master of Form?"

Karlof winced. "Karlof thinks… how do you say… she is 'bad girl' now."

Lloyd grit his teeth. "How about the Master of Nature? Bolobo?"

"Ultra Violet hunted him down early on," Skylor said. "I tried to get in contact with the rest, but… like Karlof said, Chamille's not an option, Jacob said he wanted to lay low, and Gravis and Ash never got back to me. I hope they're alright."

"I hope Chamille's _not_ alright," Shade said with a snort. "How could anyone side with the _ess oh gee_ after what they've done with the city? I hope she's miserable."

"So this is it?" Lloyd said. "We have no one else?"

"Hey," Nya said. "Before today, we thought we were alone. I'd say this is a pretty big improvement."

"You have all the people you need, Lloyd," Mistaké said. "You must learn how to lead them."

Lloyd took a deep breath. Dareth's heart ached for him; Lloyd had a tough job, carrying the hope of the city on his shoulders. Poor kid was too young for this.

"You're right," he finally said. "I… I need to get stronger. What do I do?"

Mistaké stood up. "Your training begins now. Karlof, Dareth, could you assist me?"

Dareth thought he had misheard his name before Karlof nudged him. "Oh," he said. "Yeah. Yeah, of course!"

"In the meantime," Skylor said, "we have a lot of scrap metal here–enough to build whatever we want. Dr. Borg, did you want to look at what we have?"

Cyrus nodded. "Have to make myself useful somehow. Nya, could you help me? I know you have experience with mechs…"

As they split off into separate groups, Dareth followed Mistaké, Karlof, and Lloyd to a roped-off platform. "So what's the training?" Lloyd asked. "Am I supposed to fight Karlof?"

Karlof frowned. "With no powers? That is not a fair fight."

"You're not going to fight Karlof," Mistaké said. "Dareth is."

Dareth gulped. "Me?"

Karlof looked him over. "Hm. Even less fair. Mistaké is sure about this?"

Mistaké nodded. "Lloyd, you cannot fight everyone's battles. You must learn to lead. Dareth, Karlof, take your positions."

His heart pounding, Dareth climbed onto the platform. It's not like he would get hurt for real, right? They were all on the same side, and they couldn't afford to lose anyone. Karlof took his place on the other side, and Lloyd stood next to Dareth, just outside the ropes. Out of the corner of his eye, Dareth caught Cyrus watching them. He waved.

"Focus," Lloyd said. "Look, Karlof's a tough opponent, but he fights with brute force. You can win if you're smarter than him."

"Cool," Dareth said. "How do I do that?"

"Uh…"

"Begin," Mistaké said.

Lloyd jerked his head up. "Wait, I'm not–"

Karlof charged forward. Dareth yelped and dove to the side, landing hard on his stomach. Before he could get up, Karlof put a heavy foot on his back, pinning him down.

"So!" Karlof said. "Do I win?"

Mistaké frowned. "Again."

Karlof got off Dareth and the two took their positions. "You can do this, Dareth," Lloyd said. "Try to use his weight against him."

"Like, knock him over?"

"Like…" Lloyd hissed air through his teeth. "Get him to overextend himself, and, uh… look, when I fight, it's all instinct. You've got to use your instincts."

Dareth nodded. "Alright," he said, and puffed out his chest. "With the power of brown," he said to Karlof, "you're about to go down! Brown bear!"

He growled and got down on his hands and feet, calling upon every instinct he could think of. He expected the moves to come to him naturally, but nothing entered his head. He lunged at Karlof anyway.

Karlof grabbed his arm and held him up in the air. Dareth couldn't find the will to do anything more than dangle there.

"That was cute," Karlof said, "but Karlof does not want to hurt you. Must we continue?"

Dareth bristled. "Cute?!"

"Again," Mistaké said.

Karlof put him down, but Dareth didn't go back to Lloyd. He tried to kick Karlof's legs out from underneath him, remembering what Lloyd said about his weight, but Karlof barely stumbled.

"Aha!" Karlof laughed. "Little man has fight in him! That's good, that's–"

Dareth punched him.

It wasn't easy. He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach his face. Karlof stumbled back, rubbing his nose. "Huh," he said, taking away his hand and examining the blood on it. "Karlof was not expecting that."

"I've got more than a little fight in me!" Dareth shouted. "So are you gonna take me seriously, or what?"

Karlof grinned and slammed his gauntlets together. His elemental powers turned his skin to metal, the dark spots of blood on his face standing out against the silver. "If that is what the little man wants!" he said. "Here comes Karlof!"

Dareth stood his ground and raised his fists as Karlof ran towards him.

* * *

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Mistaké said.

"You think?!" Lloyd snapped.

Dareth wanted to say something, but his chest was in agony. Skylor crouched over him where he lay gasping on the floor, a frown coloring her expression.

"I don't have much healing ability," she said. "It's been a long time since I was around the Master of Form, and the power I borrowed from her hasn't seen much use…"

"If we had Chamille–" Shade started.

"We don't!" Tox snapped. "Get over it, Shade!"

Skylor undid Dareth's shirt and winced. "Oh, boy," she said. "That doesn't look pretty."

"Dareth!" That was Cyrus' voice–Dareth could hear his wheelchair rolling towards them. "Is he alright?!"

Karlof crouched down next to Skylor. "Karlof is very sorry," he said. "Little man wanted to be taken seriously… Karlof was not using full strength. Dareth will be fine."

All that and Karlof was still holding back? Dareth grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Well, that was a miserable failure," Lloyd said. "I can't lead, Dareth can't fight, Karlof can't control himself, apparently–"

"Lloyd, calm down!"

"No, Nya!" he shouted. "This is all wrong! I can't fight everyone's battles–but not everyone should be _in_ battle! Dareth singlehandedly kept us fed for a week, he doesn't need to fight!"

"Lloyd," Mistaké said.

"Shut up! This was completely unnecessary! I should've called it off before it started! I might not have control over everything, but I had control over this, and I–"

"Lloyd–"

"–if I'm going to lead, I need you to listen to me! Why are you smiling?!"

Dareth opened his eyes and turned to look up at Lloyd. The kid's face was flushed with anger, and he glared at Mistaké, who stood with a small smile on her face.

"Lloyd," she said, "you are ready to lead."

"What?" Lloyd said. "Did you miss all the ways I just failed?!"

"What I wanted," Mistaké said, "was for you to find your voice. I believe you have succeeded in that. You know your team, and you know what they are capable of. Never doubt your instincts."

"Couldn't I have done that _without_ Dareth getting his chest caved in?"

"It's true, this was not how I planned it. But you had to learn fast, and this was the best I could do."

Skylor put a hand on Dareth's shoulder. "I think one of your ribs is broken," she said. "I can heal it, but it's going to hurt a lot."

"Cool," Dareth croaked. "How much is a lot?"

It felt like there was a knife inside his chest, twisting around as Skylor concentrated her powers. When she was done, she and Karlof helped him to a bed, where he lay down and passed out.

* * *

Cyrus brought him food in bed the next morning. "Lloyd and the others are going to the tower," he said.

"What," Dareth said, "you mean where Lord Garmadon's set up shop?" He didn't have much of an appetite anymore. He put down his fork.

"Yes." Cyrus put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't like it… but most of the people in Ninjago City don't even know that Lloyd's alive, let alone that there's a resistance. We need to get the word out somehow. Please eat, Dareth."

Dareth forced himself to put a forkful in his mouth. "You goin' with them?"

"Me? Goodness, no." Cyrus laughed softly. "I gave them all the passwords they might need, but if the Sons of Garmadon have already cracked it, it should be fairly simple for them to take it back–once they get there, of course."

There was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Cyrus said. "Who is it?"

The door opened and Lloyd stepped in. "Hey," he said, closing the door behind him. "I wanted to apologize to you, Dareth."

Dareth cracked a smile. "For what?" he said.

"For not calling off the fight." Lloyd sat down on the bed across from him. "It was my fault you got hurt. Mistaké wanted me to find my voice, and if I had just… I dunno, found it a little earlier…" He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Dareth said. "Skylor fixed me up, and now I've got a rad bruise to show off, heh."

"But it wasn't fair to you," Lloyd said. "Not to Karlof, either. I mean, he's not the one who got hurt, but both of you deserve better than to be used as a lesson for someone else, y'know? That wasn't right."

Dareth's smile faded. "Yeah," he said, "yeah. Guess it wasn't."

Someone else knocked with much more force than Lloyd. "Hello?" Karlof's voice came. "Who's here?"

"Me an' Cyrus," Dareth called back. "Uh, Lloyd too."

Lloyd stood up. "I can go. I said all I wanted to."

He left just as Karlof came in, squeezing through the door past him. Karlof watched him go before he closed the door. "Karlof is here to apologize, too," he said. "Dareth was right–Karlof did not take him seriously, and Dareth was hurt very badly."

Dareth glanced at Cyrus. "I mean, it wasn't–"

Karlof shook his head. "Not the punch, no, that was nothing. Karlof hurt the little man's pride, and that is a very deep hurt. Karlof is very, very sorry. Karlof will do something to make it up."

"Eh…" Dareth shrugged. "It's not a big deal. It wasn't anything I haven't told myself, y'know?"

"Dareth," Cyrus said softly.

"Unacceptable!" Karlof shouted. "There are many kinds of strength–those from Metalonia know this. The Green Ninja was right that Dareth cannot fight, but that does not mean Dareth is not strong!"

"Uh, it kind of–"

"Nope!" Karlof shook his head. "There is a little voice in Dareth's head, correct? Saying he is weak, he is useless, all sorts of bad, wrong things. Karlof will be a louder voice! Dareth is strong, and very brave to stand up to Karlof!" He laughed. "Very brave to punch Karlof!"

Dareth winced. "I was only brave 'cause I knew you weren't gonna hurt me," he said. "I mean, not for real. It's not like I can go up against a real enemy–that's why I'm not going with them, right?"

Karlof shrugged. "Karlof is not going either. Karlof's strength is very big and loud, see? Not so good for a stealth mission. Dareth's strength is different, too."

Dareth looked down at his food.

"Karlof will leave you two alone, now, but Dareth will tell Karlof how to make it up, right?" He nodded to Cyrus. "And Karlof will fix that chair. Lots of time today."

"Oh," Cyrus said. "Uh, thank you, Karlof."

Karlof laughed. "Not a problem! Karlof will leave now. Take care of Dareth, Borg-man!"

He left. Dareth sighed.

"There's a voice in my head too, you know."

Dareth turned to Cyrus. "What," he said, "one telling you you're… bad, and useless, and…"

Cyrus nodded. "I think there's one in everyone's head, really," he said. "For some people, it's easy to ignore. For others…" He gripped Dareth's hand. "You're a good, strong person, alright? You faced down Lord Garmadon to protect me. I'm never going to forget that. Even if you don't think you're brave, I can recognize it for you."

Dareth rubbed his eyes. "Thanks, Cy."

Cyrus smiled, the beautiful, lopsided smile Dareth loved. "I may not be as loud as Karlof, but I'd like to be louder than that little voice for you, alright? I love you Dareth."

Dareth smiled back. "Love you too, Cy."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO welcome to chapter. I give up again on sunday updates. but we're over halfway done; only 20 chapters are estimated for the fic.

Pixal came into the bedroom briefly to inform Cyrus she was leaving on the mission. She hugged him, Dareth wished her luck, and then she was gone with the rest of the group. Soon after, Dareth felt well enough to get out of bed and go with Cyrus into the depot's main room, where the rest of the team was waiting.

"Hey, Brown Ninja," Tox said with a wave, sitting across from Karlof. "You healed up enough?"

Dareth laughed. "Think so," he said. "Still hurts, but eh, I'll be fine."

Karlof brightened up at the sight of them. "Borg-man, let Karlof look at that chair!"

Cyrus nodded and wheeled himself to where Karlof waited, Dareth following behind. Karlof examined the chair with a frown. "Hm. This is not good. May Karlof look at Borg-man's arms?"

"My arms?" Cyrus said in alarm. "I thought you were only looking at my chair!"

"If Borg-man rolls up his sleeves, Karlof will see what he needs to fix."

Cyrus looked doubtful, but he relaxed a little bit when Dareth crouched down next to him. "Alright," Cyrus said. "Here, I'll…"

He took his jacket off and pushed his left sleeve up past his elbow. Dareth's eyes widened at the bruises on his arm. "Holy cow, Cy, are those from the chair?"

"I suppose so," Cyrus said. "They're not supposed to have armrests when you self-propel in them… really, Karlof, all you have to do is take the armrests off, maybe lower the back, if that's possible?"

Karlof nodded. "Easy for Master of Metal. Can Karlof…?"

He motioned to Cyrus' right arm. Cyrus jerked back. "No! I mean, ah…"

"A prosthetic, correct?"

Cyrus took a deep breath and put his left hand on his right shoulder. "It was a traumatic event," he said. "Possibly the most traumatic, for me. I don't… just the chair, please."

Karlof nodded. "Karlof will not touch it if Borg-man is not comfortable."

"Thank you," Cyrus said, and he managed a smile. "And you can call me Cyrus, if you want."

"Really! Karlof is honored to be on a first-name basis!"

Cyrus chuckled. "It's nothing, really. We're all on the same team now, aren't we? I don't want to just be Dr. Borg to the people protecting me."

Karlof grinned. "Cyrus is a kind man," he said. "Strong, too! Look at those muscles!"

Cyrus flushed and pulled his sleeve back down. "They're not–I just use my arms more often than most, that's all."

"So? Still strong!"

Dareth looked from Karlof back to Cyrus' embarrassed smile. He felt a little nauseous; he had eaten, right? Maybe something he ate was bad.

"Uh," he said, "I'm gonna go real quick."

Cyrus turned to him. "Everything alright, Dareth?"

"Yeah," Dareth lied. "Just gotta use the bathroom. Be back in a flash, heh."

In the bathroom, Dareth splashed water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't really look like boyfriend material, Dareth thought. He hadn't gotten a good shave in a while, his face was breaking out, there were deep bags under his eyes… Cyrus had all the same problems, but he still managed to look radiant, even when they were hiding from the Sons of Garmadon. Dareth just looked like a mess.

When he emerged, Karlof and Cyrus were still talking. Dareth closed the door as quietly as he could and went to the kitchen.

The kitchen was a repurposed breakroom, left from when the garbage depot had people working in it. Mistaké was there, humming to herself. Dareth cleared his throat and she looked up.

"Hey," Dareth said.

"What brings you here, Brown Ninja?" Mistaké said.

"Well…" Dareth shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Y'know… a lot of the other guys here have cool powers, or fighting skills, or something, and, uh… I can't really compete with them. I don't think I can fight, but maybe if I had cool powers, I could make up for that, and sort of… earn my place?"

Mistaké raised an eyebrow. "And why did you come to me?"

"You've got magic tea, right? There's gotta be something you can do to give me powers." Dareth tried to smile. "Right?"

Mistaké was quiet for a few moments. Dareth kept the smile on his face.

Finally, she spoke. "Follow me," she said.

"Oh, really?" Dareth said. "Great! Uh, where are we going?"

He followed Mistaké up the stairs and through another door. When he realized she was going on a platform overlooking the main room, he hesitated. "Uh, Mistaké?" he whispered. "I don't really want Cyrus and Karlof to hear me…"

Mistaké put a finger to his lips and motioned at the room below. Dareth crept to the railing and looked down.

Cyrus sat in a folding chair while Karlof worked on his wheelchair. "You're very kind, Karlof," he said, his hands clasped in his lap, "but I'm already seeing someone."

"Aha!" Karlof laughed. "Someone got to Cyrus first, huh? Who could be so lucky?"

"We're, ah, not exactly public yet, but…" Cyrus paused. "Really, I'm lucky to have him. He's kind, and brave, and he cares so deeply for me, and everyone else he cares about. I'm so happy to be one of them."

"Sounds like mystery man makes Cyrus happy, is that right?"

"Oh, absolutely," Cyrus said. Even from this distance, Dareth could see a faint smile on his lips. "It's hard to be happy, given the situation, but… he's a spark of joy in these dark days. I only wish I had the confidence to ask him out before the Sons of Garmadon, well…"

They fell silent. Dareth's heart was pounding. He nodded to Mistaké and the two of them quietly slipped back inside.

Just before he closed the door, he heard Karlof laugh again. "Dareth, huh?"

Cyrus sputtered for a moment. "We–we're not public! Please, keep this to yourself, I–"

"Don't worry, Karlof will not tell. But good choice!"

Dareth smiled and followed Mistaké back downstairs.

* * *

"Sorry I took so long," Dareth said, walking back to Cyrus and Karlof. "How's the chair coming?"

Cyrus beamed at him, his cheeks pink. "Oh, excellent!" he said. "I mean, I suppose we won't know until it's done, but I trust Karlof to do an excellent job."

"Of course!" Karlof said. "Karlof would not do any less! Would Dareth like Karlof to build him something?"

"Huh? Nah, I don't need anything."

"Positive? Karlof still needs to make up for Dareth's hurt pride!"

Dareth chuckled. "Trust me," he said, sitting in a chair next to Cyrus and putting an arm around him, "you already have."

* * *

Misako took the portable TV and turned it on in the middle of the main room. Tox groaned when she heard Ultra Violet's voice. "C'mon, don't put that on!"

"When Lloyd takes the air, it'll be on here," Misako said. "If I can't go with them…"

"Whatever," Tox said. "I think it's just reruns right now. They're still looking for the mailman, right?"

"They're looking for everyone, aren't they?" Dareth said.

"You know what I mean! Not everyone has a bounty on their head."

The feed suddenly cut off. Misako straightened up. "Is this it?"

Ultra Violet came back a moment later. "Hello, my darling viewers! I've got a very special Ultra Hunt for you today!"

A special one? Dareth leaned closer. "What does that mean?" he said out loud.

"I don't know," Cyrus said, "but I don't like the sounds of it."

"Forget the mailman," she continued. "We've got a much more valuable guy for you to hunt down, and the jackpot's been upped to reflect his worth! Keep your eyes peeled for Cyrus Borg!"

Dareth gasped. Cyrus clapped his hands to his mouth. Dareth looked back at him, but Cyrus' eyes were glued to the television.

"That's right!" Ultra Violet continued. "If you can find him, you'll get a jackpot bigger than all the rest! Don't miss this chance to get in good with the Sons of Garmadon!"

She cackled, and the screen went to static.

"Cool," Tox said. "This literally changes nothing."

"How can you say that?!" Misako snapped.

"What?" Tox shrugged. "It wasn't like Borg was going to leave the depot anyway. If someone was gonna find him, they'd find all of us, and then we'd all be in trouble. So… nothing changes!"

Dareth ignored her and focused on Cyrus, whose breathing was becoming fast and irregular. "Hey," he said. "You're gonna be alright, Cy."

"Dareth is right!" Karlof said. "Cyrus has all of us to protect him–he is the safest he can be!"

Cyrus shook his head and pushed himself away from the table. "I have to go," he said, and he quickly wheeled himself towards the bedroom. Dareth, not knowing what else to do, followed him.

Cyrus sat doubled over in his wheelchair, hugging himself and crying softly. Dareth sat on a bed near him and put a hand on his back. "Hey," he said. "Karlof was right, you're safe here."

"How can any of us be safe?" Cyrus whispered. He didn't look at Dareth. "The Sons of Garmadon want us all captured or worse, and I–I can't deal with this. Not again."

Dareth struggled for words. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

Cyrus shook his head.

"Okay. Do you want to… talk about it?"

He shook his head again.

Dareth rubbed his back. "Do you want to just cry it out?"

Cyrus sobbed and leaned towards him. Dareth caught him in his arms and Cyrus hugged him tight and sobbed into his chest. Dareth tried to say something comforting, whisper soothing words, but soon he stopped and just held Cyrus while he cried.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. "Hey," Tox said, "Lloyd's on TV, if you want to see. Or if you don't, it's whatever."

Dareth could hear Lloyd's voice from the main room, though he couldn't make out the words. Cyrus had stopped sobbing and was now crying silently, his head pressing against Dareth's chest. The pressure made his bruise hurt.

"I think we're staying," he said.

"Alright, whatever." Tox walked away. Dareth heard her footsteps.

"I'm sorry," Cyrus croaked. "I'm just… I'm just a mess. I don't know what you see in me."

"What I see in you?" Dareth ran a hand through Cyrus' hair. "There's so much, Cy. You're a great guy, you've done so much for the city–"

"But that's not anything _real._ "

"What? Of course it's real, Cy."

Cyrus sniffed. "What do you see in me that's not just a result of the power I wield?"

Dareth blinked and didn't respond for a moment. "Cy, you're… nice to me."

"That's it?"

"Of course not," Dareth said. "But… I dunno, Cy, sometimes it's hard to believe people would want to be nice to me. I'm just a little guy, and you're like, the biggest guy in town, y'know?"

"Dareth…"

"'M not done yet." Dareth rested his chin on top of Cyrus head. "You looked at me and saw somebody instead of a nobody, and I looked at you and saw… someone who was doing good. Not everyone with power does. Sure, you messed up sometimes, but so did I, and we both picked ourselves up and kept trying–and honestly, no one would blame you if you had holed yourself up in your bunker and never came out, after everything that's happened to you. But you didn't. You're scared, and you've got a little voice in your head just like I do, but you keep going, and you keep trying."

Cyrus said nothing. Dareth cleared his throat. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're brave," he said, "and when I see you being brave, I feel like I can be brave too."

"I don't feel very brave right now," Cyrus said, his voice muffled.

"That's alright. You don't have to be brave all the time."

Cyrus whimpered and hugged him tighter. Outside, Lloyd's voice repeated, over and over: "The resistance never quits!"

"We're gonna be okay," Dareth said.

"The resistance never quits!"

"How do you know?" Cyrus choked out.

"The resistance never quits!"

"I'll make sure of it," Dareth said.

Cyrus pulled himself onto Dareth's lap, and Dareth shifted position, lying down in bed holding Cyrus next to him. For a moment, he worried–Cyrus didn't want their relationship to be public, did he?–but those were abstract thoughts. Reality was Cyrus' trembling body in his arms, soft and warm, and Dareth didn't want to let go of reality just yet. Not now.

"The resistance never quits!"

They would make it through this.

"The resistance never–"

The broadcast shut off.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait for everyone to kill me for this chapter (only to resurrect me and kill me again when I post chapter 15)
> 
> have fun!

Dareth woke up slowly. He didn't remember falling asleep, but Cyrus was still with him, so it couldn't have been that long. Cyrus' glasses were poking into his shoulder. Dareth shifted slightly to try and find a more comfortable position, only to realize there was a blanket over them.

Huh. He didn't remember a blanket, either.

"Good morning, Dareth."

Dareth pushed himself up and squinted at Misako. "Morning?" he said. "It's not…"

Misako smiled. "You two fell asleep before the others came back," she said. "Don't worry, everyone's safe. Lloyd is planning a meeting to discuss our next steps."

Cyrus shifted, tightening his grip on Dareth. Dareth looked down at him. "Uh," he said, "this isn't what it looks like?"

"Yes, Karlof did say your relationship wasn't public." Misako sighed. "Unfortunately, he said that after Griffin ran in here and blurted it out to everyone, so there wasn't much we could do."

"Oh." Dareth felt like he should be more bothered than he was. "That's… alright, I guess. I mean… I dunno how long we could've kept it secret, y'know?"

"Are you coming out for breakfast?"

"Probably. I mean, yeah, just give us a minute."

Misako nodded and left the room. Once she was gone, Dareth nudged Cyrus. "Hey," he said. "Time to wake up, Cy."

Cyrus opened his eyes. "Dareth?" he mumbled. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, but…" Dareth hesitated. "There's, uh, something I gotta tell you."

He sat up and helped Cyrus to sit up with him. Cyrus moved to rub his eyes and bumped his glasses. "Oh, no," he said. "I shouldn't sleep in these, they'll be bent…"

"Yeah," Dareth said. "Listen, Cy… everyone knows."

Cyrus blinked. "Everyone knows I slept in my glasses?"

"No, about us. Misako told me."

Cyrus didn't say anything for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I take it our relationship is no longer private," he finally said.

"Yeah," Dareth said. "I'm sorry, Cy, I wasn't thinking last night, I just…"

Cyrus smiled at him. "You were trying to comfort me," he said. "I can't be angry at you for that. It's a wonder we were able to keep it secret for so long; Karlof already figured it out." His smile turned into a frown. "It wasn't him who told everyone, was it?"

"Nah," Dareth said. "Apparently Griffin found us like this and told everyone. I mean, that's what Misako told me."

"Alright." Cyrus yawned. "Well, let's go out. I should have a talk with Pixal, anyway…"

They got out of bed. Dareth helped Cyrus into his wheelchair. "Karlof did a pretty good job on it," he said. "It looks way better now."

"Well, the old design served a purpose, it just wasn't suited for me." Cyrus patted one wheel. "But you're right, this is much better. I'll consider forgiving Karlof for punching you."

Dareth laughed. "Hey, that was pretty much my fault."

"I'm sorry, did you break your own rib?"

"No, but I was kinda giving him a hard time." Dareth ran a hand through his hair. Too bad they didn't have a mirror, his hair probably looked pretty bad. "Besides, he apologized, it's not a big deal."

"You're too hard on yourself, Dareth," Cyrus said. "But I wasn't entirely serious; I know he didn't really mean harm. It just hurts to see you in pain."

"I get it. C'mon, let's head out."

He opened the door for Cyrus and they emerged into the main room. The others were scattered around the room, but Dareth spotted Lloyd, Misako, and Skylor at the table.

"Good morning," Skylor said when they approached. "Hey, I'm really sorry about Griffin. He needs to watch his mouth."

Cyrus frowned. "He wasn't, ah, insulting, was he?"

"No, but he outed you before you were ready. That's bad enough." Skylor sighed. "I told him to apologize, but I think he's hiding somewhere right now."

"Well, it's alright. I mean, I'd rather he hadn't, but nothing to be done about it now." Cyrus raised his head and looked around. "Have you seen Pixal? I need to talk to her."

"She's on watch," Lloyd said. "Next shift change is in half an hour, so you can talk to her then."

"Where's the food?" Dareth asked. "I mean, don't mean to be a bother, but I kinda skipped dinner last night…"

"Of course!" Misako said. "Over here…"

She served them two plates and they ate quickly. There was still a good twenty minutes before Cyrus could talk to Pixal, so they stayed at the table and got the debriefing from Lloyd.

"The mission was better than I expected," he said. "Almost everything went according to plan, and what didn't… well, we did it!"

He laughed. Dareth found himself smiling, too. "That's great," he said. "So now the people know there's a resistance!"

"We have to plan our next steps carefully," Skylor said. "The Sons of Garmadon know there's a resistance, too, and that we're stronger than they thought."

Lloyd nodded, his smile fading. "Yeah," he said, "but we are strong, and we can endure until the others get back."

"Have you spoken to Mistaké lately?" Misako asked.

Dareth panicked. "No," he said.

Misako looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I… wasn't asking you?"

"Ah heh. Sorry." Dareth stood up, his cheeks flushed. "I'm gonna step outside for a minute."

"Is something wrong?" Cyrus asked.

"Nah, just need some fresh air. I'll be careful, don't worry."

He paused for a moment, then leaned down towards Cyrus, who moved his head up to meet Dareth's lips with his own. Dareth felt embarrassed, kissing in front of Lloyd, Skylor, and Misako, and he pulled back quickly. "Was that okay?" he asked. "I mean… if we're public, now…"

Cyrus laughed. "It's fine, don't worry. Do you want to try that again?"

The next kiss was better. Dareth and Cyrus were both grinning when they parted. Misako laughed, but it was a kind laugh. "You two remind me of me and…"

She trailed off. Dareth looked over and saw her frowning, a sad look in her eyes. That's right, he thought. Before he was Emperor, before he was Lord, Garmadon had loved Misako.

Lloyd cleared his throat. "Be back soon," he said to Dareth. "And stay out of sight."

"Right," Dareth said, snapping himself out of it. "Sorry."

* * *

The smell of the garbage depot still permeated the air, but at least outside, there was a cool breeze. Dareth kept his head down and found a place to sit, surrounded by stacks of boxes. The city was quiet, and for a moment he could pretend there was no gang ruling over them, there didn't have to be a resistance, and he and Cyrus were going out to get ice cream again.

He breathed in and nearly choked on the smell. Maybe they'd get ice cream somewhere else.

There was a noise nearby and he flinched, but it was just Pixal, walking past him to go back inside. Huh, it wasn't time for the shift change yet, was it? She wasn't in a hurry, like she was rushing in to warn everyone, so Dareth let himself relax. He'd keep an eye on things until someone came to replace her.

After a few minutes passed, he got bored. Dareth sighed and stood back up.

The moment he stood, a blow from behind knocked him forward. Dareth hit the ground hard, gasping in pain. He rolled onto his back only to stare down the barrel of a gun.

"Been a while, Brown Ninja," Missy said.

Dareth opened his mouth to shout a warning, but the gun _click_ ed and he couldn't speak.

"Oh, you're not gonna make a sound." Missy flashed a grin and crouched down, still pointing the gun at his forehead. "You're going to sit right here and watch while my friends wipe out your pathetic resistance."

Dareth couldn't breathe. Missy was going to kill him, he thought. There was no way out of this. Missy already wanted to kill him, why would she let him live? Why would the Sons of Garmadon let anyone live?

If that was the case, better to save as many people as he could than to let them all die.

Dareth shouted as loud as he could: " _Ambush!_ "

Missy's face went red with fury and she stood up straight. "You little–"

Someone roared behind him. Missy looked up and her eyes widened. She jerked the gun away from Dareth and fired, but the bullet bounced harmlessly off Karlof's metal skin. Karlof sent her flying with a punch and motioned to Dareth.

"Karlof came to check on Dareth!" he said. "Good thing he did! Warn the others!"

Dareth took a fast breath and ran for the door.

The Sons of Garmadon had already made it inside–through the roof, Dareth realized, seeing the ropes hanging from above. All around the room, the members of the resistance were defending themselves against their assailants, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. A gunshot went off, and Dareth's blood ran cold.

"Don't shoot, idiots!" someone shouted. "Emperor Garmadon wants his son _alive!_ "

Dareth had to move.

He had to do something.

He couldn't.

The Sons of Garmadon barely noticed him. Why would they? It wasn't like he was a threat. Dareth stood there with his legs trembling, barely able to keep himself upright, and couldn't do anything.

Someone grabbed him. Dareth yelped and flailed until he recognized the man holding him. "Karlof?" he choked out. "What are you–"

"Be strong, Dareth!" Karlof shouted, and he threw him into the center of the room.

Dareth crashed into one of the Sons of Garmadon and knocked him over. He nearly sliced his hand open on the man's sword in the struggle to disarm him, but Dareth managed to wrench it out of his grip. He stood up and heard a sound behind him–he whirled around just in time to block another sword's blow.

The gang member smirked. "You're holding it like a baseball bat."

The man on the floor kicked Dareth's legs out from underneath him. Dareth fell backwards on top of him. No time to get up–he swung the sword with both hands at the other gang member's legs. He didn't wait to see if he had drawn blood; as soon as they fell, he scrambled to his feet and ran in a random direction.

He nearly collided with Skylor. "Careful!" she yelped. "Where's Lloyd?!"

"Don't know," Dareth said, breathing hard. "Where's Cyrus?"

Skylor shook her head. "There's too many of them," she said. "We need to get Lloyd out of here!"

"But–"

A deep laugh made him flinch. Dareth and Skylor turned to see Killow, towering above the others in an orange mask. He raised a hand and Paleman and Shade rose with it, struggling in the air. They were flung into the wall.

Skylor gasped. When Dareth turned to her, she was already gone, running towards a cluster of gang members. Dareth remembered Cyrus and frantically looked around the room. He didn't see him anywhere; had the Sons of Garmadon caught him? Or was he hiding?

Dareth spun around and darted to the bedroom. He opened the door, slammed it into one of the Sons of Garmadon, and wasted a moment trying to lock it behind him before realizing there was no lock. "Cyrus!" he shouted, spinning around. He saw the empty wheelchair and his heart sank. "Cyrus, are you–"

"Dareth!" Cyrus poked his head out from under a bed. His eyes were wide, his glasses were askew, but he was alive, and a smile spread across Dareth's face despite the circumstances.

"Oh, thank God," he said. "Cyrus, we gotta get outta here."

Cyrus shook his head. "How?! The Sons of Garmadon–"

The door banged open. "Hey!" the gang member yelled. "I found Bor–"

A blur slammed into him. "I'll hold them off!" Griffin shouted. "You dudes get out of here!"

Dareth looked around. "How?! There's no other way out!"

Griffin pointed. Dareth followed his finger to a window above the beds, cracked open.

"Consider this my apology," Griffin said. "Now go!"

He slammed the door shut. Dareth ran to Cyrus. "C'mon," he said, pulling him out from under the bed. "We're going."

Cyrus looked up at the window. "How are we going to get up there? I can't climb!"

"I'll figure something out, just hold onto me."

He picked Cyrus up and made sure he was secure before stepping up on the bed closest to the window. Cyrus wrapped his arms around his neck. Dareth gulped and used one hand to grab a pipe and pull himself up on a shelf. When he was stable, he grabbed another pipe and climbed up higher.

They were so close, close enough for Dareth to grab the windowsill with one hand, but he couldn't pull himself high enough to get through. Someone was banging on the door. Dareth thought fast.

"Cyrus," he said, "you have strong arms, right?"

"What?!" Cyrus yelped.

"I can't carry you and go through myself. You're gonna have to go first."

He held Cyrus as high as he could with one arm, which wasn't very high, but Cyrus grabbed whatever handholds he could and lifted himself up to the window. Dareth helped push him up until his upper body was through the window.

"What do I do now?!" Cyrus cried. "Do I just _fall?_ "

"I guess? Can you hang on until I get there?"

"I don't know!" Cyrus pulled himself further through. "I'll risk it! Doesn't look like–ack!"

He fell through the window. Dareth heard a clatter and a _thud_ on the other side, followed by Cyrus' shout: "I'm fine!"

Dareth wasted no time. With two hands free, he was able to climb to the window just as the door behind him crashed open. "Get him!" someone shouted, but Dareth was already midway through, he could see Cyrus beneath him, he was going to make it, they were going to be okay–

He fell into the trash.

"Dareth!" Cyrus cried.

Dareth's side ached, but he forced himself to his feet and picked up Cyrus. "We're going," he said, and started running.

Cyrus looked back behind them. "The others–"

"Can't help them," Dareth said between breaths. "Gotta get you out."

He couldn't run very fast holding Cyrus. He had to pray the Sons of Garmadon weren't following them. As they ran, the sounds of the fight faded into the distance, until the only sound Dareth could hear was his own labored breathing.

He got Cyrus out.

That was what mattered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is another intense chapter. have fun!

He chose streets on instinct, weaving through the city and searching for somewhere to hide. Just as he was about to collapse, he spotted a familiar building up ahead and pushed himself to run that last leg. He stopped right in front of the door and dug in his pocket for the keys he still carried with him.

"Where are we?" Cyrus asked quietly.

"My apartment," Dareth said.

"Is that safe?"

"I dunno." His hand shook so bad, it took several tries to get the door open. "Can't think of anywhere better."

Cyrus nodded. Dareth felt the motion against his chest.

His apartment hadn't been touched, to his surprise–the Sons of Garmadon had known about it, even before they took over the city. Dareth thanked his lucky stars and put Cyrus down on the couch.

Cyrus grabbed his hand before he could walk away. "Are they gone?" he whispered.

"I think we got away, yeah–"

Cyrus shook his head. "No, Dareth. The others."

Dareth couldn't answer for a moment. "They're tough," he said. "I'm sure they're hanging in there."

Cyrus didn't let go. "What are we going to do?" he said, his voice shaking. "We can't go back, we don't know if the others made it out…"

Dareth didn't have an answer for him. "I'm gonna see what I've got for food," he said. "Some of it's probably rotten, but…"

He didn't have the strength to pull away from Cyrus' grip. He got on his knees beside the couch instead. "I dunno," he said. "I'm really tired…"

Cyrus pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him. Dareth hugged him back, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he choked out. "I don't know what to do. I just don't wanna lose you, Cy."

"Mistaké said Lloyd had to endure," Cyrus whispered. "I guess we have to do the same."

They held each other for a long time, both of them barely restraining their sobs, until they heard footsteps outside the door.

They separated. Dareth stood up, his heart pounding. He had locked it, hadn't he? Whoever it was, they would have to break it down.

"The hell is in here?" the person muttered.

Dareth recognized the voice. He nodded to Cyrus, put his finger to his lips, and went to the door to open it before his landlord could.

"Brown?" His landlord's eyes widened. "The hell? I thought you were… man, I dunno."

Dareth forced a laugh. "Had to come back and get some stuff," he said. "Sorry I didn't give any warning, but, y'know, it's been a mess out there."

"I'll say." He tried to look past Dareth into the apartment. "You got anyone else in there?"

"Nah, just me."

"You're a crap liar. I heard voices."

He pushed the door open further, despite Dareth's attempt to block it. "Hey!" Dareth yelped. "You can't just barge in here!"

"What're you gonna do, Brown? Call the cops?" He shoved his way into the entryway and hit Dareth with a hard elbow to the chest. "You go missing for weeks and I'm not supposed to be suspicious? Who do you have in here?"

"Stop it!"

He froze at Cyrus' shout. Dareth stepped back and let his landlord into the room, where Cyrus sat up on the couch. Cyrus glared at him, his face hard.

"If you don't mind," he snapped, "we are trying to keep a low profile. What do you want?"

"Goddamn," the landlord said. "Are you really Borg?"

"Dr. Borg, and yes."

"You know, there's a bounty on your head."

"I am aware." Cyrus adjusted his glasses. "And what are you going to do? Call the Sons of Garmadon on us?"

"Please don't," Dareth said.

His landlord said nothing, so Dareth kept going. "Look, I know you don't like me, but c'mon, you can't rat us out! They already grabbed our friends, we're the only ones left!"

"So that's it? No more resistance?"

"I don't know! Maybe someone else got out, but–" Dareth blinked rapidly, trying to dispel his tears. "We don't know, and we've got nowhere else to stay, and–I swear, we won't cause any trouble. We'll be gone by tomorrow, promise. We–we can even go now, if you don't–"

His landlord raised a hand. "No need," he said. "I'm not gonna call you in. Stay for however long you need."

Dareth let himself breathe. "Oh, man, thank you. I can't tell you how much–"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." His landlord stepped back. "I gotta mention, though, I didn't think you were coming back. Some of your stuff's up in the attic, if you wanna come and get it."

"Uh…" Dareth glanced back at Cyrus. "I dunno, if it's not anything I need…"

"It's taking up space, and if you're gonna stay here, I'd like you to take it back." He cracked a smile. "It'll only be a minute. The _ess oh gee_ can't get here that quickly, can they?"

"I mean, if we were followed…"

Cyrus sighed and took off his glasses, wiping them on his shirt. "We weren't followed," he said. "We would've been caught that much sooner if we were. It's alright, Dareth, just… come back soon, okay?"

"'Course I will." Dareth smiled at him before turning back to his landlord. "Alright, let's make this quick."

He stepped out into the hall and made sure the door was locked behind him. "The attic, huh?" he said to his landlord. "I don't think you've ever let me up there before."

The landlord shrugged. "I just don't want to carry all your crap, y'know? Better to make you do it."

"Heh, I get that." It was surreal, walking up the stairs with his landlord after everything that happened. "It's not too much, is it?"

"You should be able to handle it." He stopped at the top of the stairwell at a padlocked door. "Here, just let me get this."

Once it was unlocked, he motioned for Dareth to go in. He did so, squinting in the darkness. "Where's the light?"

The door slammed shut behind him.

Dareth flinched. "Hey," he said, turning around and feeling for the doorknob. He heard the _click_ of the lock being closed again, and his heart jumped. "Hey, hey! What are you doing?!"

"Sorry, Brown," his landlord said, "but I need money, and I know I can't count on you to pay the rent."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The door opened a crack, but the padlock kept him trapped inside. "Let me out! You can't do this!"

He heard his landlord walk away. Dareth slammed his fists on the door. "Let me out!" he shouted. "Let me out!"

Cyrus, he thought, Cyrus was all alone out there, and Dareth had to protect him. He felt around in the nearby darkness for something he could break down the door with, but the only things he found was a bunch of cobwebs and what was probably mouse droppings. He wiped his hand on his pants and kicked the door hard. "Let me outta here! Cyrus! Cyrus!"

His landlord didn't come back. Dareth thought he heard shouting from downstairs–was he imagining Cyrus' voice? He continued banging on the door, trying to make as much noise as possible. No one came up. No one let him out. Dareth screamed–" _Cyrus!_ "

No response. The noise faded. Dareth sobbed and fell to his knees, pounding on the door, over and over. "Cyrus… I can't lose you, Cy…"

The door didn't budge.

Eventually, Dareth passed out.

* * *

When he woke up, he was still in the attic.

Dareth pushed himself up to a sitting position and wiped the tears off his face. He couldn't bring himself to do anything more. What could he do? Cyrus was gone, captured by the Sons of Garmadon, and Dareth was trapped in a nasty old attic. His fault for trusting his landlord.

He sobbed and covered his face. This was all his fault. If only he had been stronger. If only Cyrus had found someone else to protect him. If only Cyrus didn't love him, didn't want to be with him, then maybe none of this would have happened.

What would Mel have said to him? What did he say?

_You've got people counting on you, even if you don't think so._

Dareth took a deep breath and stood up. "I'll make it out," he said quietly. "I'm not gonna let you down, Mel."

He turned back to the door. It was still cracked open, with light streaming in from the stairwell. Dareth looked up to where the padlock kept it close. Karlof said he was strong, even if not physically, but damn, Dareth needed some physical strength right about now.

He punched the door right where the padlock was bolted in. He punched it again, again, put all his weight on it and pushed. The door groaned. The wood creaked. Dareth grit his teeth, thought of Cyrus, used all his strength–

The door burst open.

Dareth crashed to the floor. When he got up, he saw he had ripped the padlock straight out of the wall.

Movement from downstairs–Dareth made a lot of noise in his escape attempt. He scrambled to his feet just as his landlord ascended the stairs.

"Oh, shit," he said when he saw Dareth.

Dareth ran at him.

His landlord didn't have time to defend himself; Dareth knocked him against the wall and punched him in the jaw. "Where's Cyrus?" he shouted. "What did you do to him?!"

"I didn't do anything!" The landlord tried to twist away, but Dareth grabbed his arm and kept him pinned. "All I did was make the call!"

"Where is he?!"

"Hell if I know! The Sons of Garmadon took him!"

Dareth kneed him in the gut, just because he could, and let him go. "Stay out of my way," he told him, and ran down the stairs.

No one else was in the building. Dareth ran outside and leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. He needed a plan. If he just barged into the Sons of Garmadon's base, he'd be captured or killed, and then there would be no one left to rescue Cyrus.

It was up to him.

Dareth looked up at Borg Tower and set off.

* * *

The Sons of Garmadon patrolled a wide area around Borg Tower. Dareth stopped at the edge of their territory and ducked into an alley. Once the motorcycles passed, he crept out again and hesitated. If he got caught…

Not many stores were still running this close to the Sons of Garmadon's base, so Dareth found an abandoned one with the door already broken down and slipped inside. It had been a clothing store before it got trashed. Dareth picked through what was left and uncovered a mostly-intact case of makeup.

Jackpot.

With a fresh set of clothes and a carefully-applied disguise, Dareth went out into the streets and blended in with the few civilians still around. It was too bad he couldn't find a wig, but he had styled his hair differently and hid it under a hood for good measure. He kept his head down, but so did everyone else, no one making eye contact as they went about their business.

"Hey! Let go of me!"

He jerked his head up at the woman's shout. Up ahead, a gang member had grabbed her arm and was dragging her towards Borg Tower. "I didn't do anything!" she protested. "Let me go!"

"You're acting suspicious," the man snapped, "and that's good enough for me."

Dareth blocked his way. "Sorry," he said, trying to put a different pitch to his voice, "but are you sure that's a good idea?"

The man glared at him. "Who are you to go against the Sons of Garmadon?"

"Just saying," Dareth said, "you don't look like you're up in the ranks, and this lady doesn't look like much, either. You sure you want to waste your superior's time like that?"

"You don't know anything, you–"

The woman elbowed him in the gut and managed to pull away. "Leave me alone!" she shouted, and took off running. Dareth shoved the guy down and followed her.

They stopped in an alley and pressed their backs to the wall, listening for any signs they had been followed. When the man didn't appear, they relaxed. "Thank you," the woman said. "I don't know what I would've done…"

Dareth nodded. "Becky, right?"

"What? How did you know?"

Dareth flashed a smile and pulled his hood off. "It's me! Dareth!"

Becky's eyes widened. "Dareth?! Oh my God–what happened? Dr. Borg told me to evacuate, and then when they took over the tower, I thought…"

She trailed off. Dareth cleared his throat. "It's been rough," he said. "I was with the resistance, but…"

"I saw the news," Becky said. "Their base was discovered, and now Dr. Borg's been captured, too."

Dareth swallowed. "I know," he said. "I'm going to rescue him."

Should he be telling all this to her? He had made the mistake of trusting the wrong person once today already. He took a step back. "Sorry," he said. "I'll leave you alone."

Becky shook her head. "You can't rescue him all by yourself," he said. "Do you even know where he is?"

"I…" Dareth hesitated. "He's with the other prisoners, right? I figured I'd just… look around."

Becky sighed. "I wasn't able to help him before," she said, "and even if I can't do much, I want to help him now. Here, let's go to my place."

"Are you sure? I don't want to get you in trouble…"

"Let me help you, Dareth. My boss clearly trusts you, and whatever his reasons, I'll trust you, too."

Dareth relented. "Alright," he said. "What's your plan?"

* * *

"Huh," Dareth said, crouching down in Becky's cramped apartment. "I didn't know you were a hacker."

"I'm not," Becky said, typing rapidly at one of the computers. "I'm just a programmer. It's not even my job, I just… thought it'd be interesting."

"So if we're not hacking…"

"Oh, we are hacking." Becky turned around and smiled. "I was Borg's secretary, remember? I bet they haven't changed all the passwords."

"Is that hacking if you already know the passwords?"

"Enough chatter." Becky turned back to the computer. "All I'm doing is trying to find out where they've been taking their prisoners. It's gotta be here somewhere–"

Dareth stayed quiet while Becky typed, shifting his weight from side to side. He wanted to be useful, but there wasn't anything to do while Becky searched for the information he needed. Dareth stood there wondering if he should offer her some of his water or something until her typing stopped.

"Huh," she said.

"What is it?"

"I don't know where all the prisoners are, but I think I know where Dr. Borg is."

"Really?" Dareth straightened up and bumped his head on a shelf. "Ow–is he alright?"

Becky shook her head. "All I know is that he used a retina scanner recently. They must be keeping him there to unlock what they can't use brute force on."

Dareth nodded, his heart pounding. "So that's it? He's in Borg Tower?"

Becky turned to face him. "You're really going in there, aren't you," she said.

"What? Of course I am!" Dareth took a step back. "You're not–you're not gonna try and stop me, are you?"

"No," she said, "but I wonder if I should. You're going to get yourself killed going in there by yourself, and goodness knows I'm not brave enough to come with you." She sighed. "Is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?"

"No," Dareth said. "I mean, not really. It was my fault they got him, so I gotta get him out."

"You're a good, kind person," Becky said. "Most people, upon being gifted five thousand dollars, would've been fine with just taking the money. No one would blame you if you didn't try to save him."

"No one but myself, right?"

She cracked a smile. "It was nice knowing you, Dareth. I hope I get the chance to know you better when this is over."

Dareth smiled back. "Me too. See you around."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to chapter. next chapter in 2 weeks. have fun

The Sons of Garmadon had taken apart most of the cars in Borg Tower's garage, half-constructed motorcycles scattered around the space. There were some gang members working on them; Dareth crept from hiding spot to hiding spot and tried to keep his breathing steady. He saw the elevator up ahead, and if he remembered correctly, he didn't need any sort of key to use it. All he had to do was get there.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

Dareth froze behind a van. The gang members on the other side paused.

"Guess not," the woman said after a few moments. "Sorry."

The two resumed tinkering with their motorcycles. Dareth exhaled and kept going.

There was nowhere to hide in front of the elevator. Dareth crept to it and pressed the up button as quietly as he could. It didn't light up. The elevator was silent. He pressed it again, and again, until in desperation, he stuck his fingers in the crack between the doors and pulled. Little by little, he pried them open.

Just as he had made a gap large enough to fit through, the Sons of Garmadon noticed him. "Hey! Who are you?!"

Dareth squeezed through the elevator doors and nearly fell down the shaft. There was a ladder, right? He spotted it and grabbed it, pulling himself up as fast as he could.

"Get back here!" One of the Sons of Garmadon poked her head through the doors and glared at him. "Intruder alert!"

She started climbing up after him. Dareth picked up the pace. His arms already ached, and he had so far to go–but he couldn't give up, not now, not ever.

The woman grabbed his ankle. He kicked blindly and his foot connected with her face. She let go with a yelp. Dareth flailed for a moment before his foot found the ladder again. Where was he going? He didn't know what floor to go to, and the Sons of Garmadon knew he was here.

The elevator door above him slowly opened. Dareth pulled himself up with a burst of adrenaline and grabbed the man's arm just as he reached for the ladder.

The gang member's eyes widened. "Hey–"

Dareth yanked him through the doors and threw him into the elevator shaft. The man screamed as he fell. Dareth pulled himself out just as he heard the _thud_ of the man hitting the bottom. He was probably fine. Dareth wasn't going to think about it.

He was only on the second floor, it looked like; just above the lobby. Dareth spotted the stairwell and slipped inside. He took the steps two at a time for the first flight, but couldn't keep the pace up for the next. He had to find Cyrus. What floor was he on? Where would the Sons of Garmadon put him?

Cyrus' apartment was on the twenty-first floor. Dareth paused for a moment, out of breath and gasping, before forcing himself to keep going. The two Sons of Garmadon from the garage didn't follow him, but the whole tower would know he was here by now.

The stairs went on forever. Dareth could barely lift his legs to continue ascending when he saw the sign for the twentieth floor. He took it one step at a time until he was at the door. He fell to his knees and put one hand on the wall, sucking air in and out of his lungs.

For a moment, he thought he heard Cyrus' voice. Dareth looked up. "Cy?" he said quietly, even though he figured the next moment he had just imagined it.

"And I'm saying," the next voice said, "it's in your best interest to get this done faster."

Dareth gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"I'm trying!" That was really him. Cyrus' voice was pitched high in fear. "This is a delicate procedure, and if I go too fast–"

"You're Cyrus Borg, aren't you? You're the man that makes the impossible happen. So make it happen!"

"Harumi–"

Cyrus cut himself short with a yelp. Dareth could barely restrain himself from crying out.

"We are not on a first name basis, Borg!" Harumi shouted.

Cyrus stammered apologies. The next time Harumi spoke, her voice was quieter.

"Get to work," she said.

A door slid open and closed. The elevator hummed next to him. Dareth took a shaky breath and stood up.

Cyrus' bedroom needed a retina scan to get inside. Dareth stood in front of the door, collected himself, and knocked.

The door opened.

Cyrus' eyes widened. His hair was greasy, his clothes were in disarray, but he was here, he was alive–Dareth put a finger to his lips and slipped inside the room.

"Dareth?!" Cyrus choked out when the door closed. "How did you get in here?"

"Long story." Dareth could barely stay on his feet. "The _ess-oh-gee_ know I'm here, though. We gotta move fast."

"Move fast? I can't–"

They froze at the hard knocking on the door. "Hey, Borg! Open up!"

Cyrus jabbed a finger at the bedroom. Dareth nearly tripped over himself running to it. He crouched down behind the bed and listened to Harumi and Cyrus.

"We have an intruder in the tower, Borg," Harumi said, her voice low and dangerous. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"N-no! How could I? I've been here the whole time?"

"You didn't send a message outside?"

Cyrus' voice wavered. "Of course not, there's no point! You captured my daughter and her friends–who would come to rescue me?!"

Harumi said nothing for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Get back to work," and Dareth heard her leave.

He waited in the bedroom until Cyrus called to him. "I–I think you can come out now."

Dareth straightened up and met Cyrus at the bedroom door. "We have to get going," he said to him. "Dunno how much time we have, but–"

Cyrus shook his head. "I can't, Dareth."

"What do you mean? We've gotta get out of here–"

"Dareth–" Cyrus' voice caught. "If I don't do what they tell me to, they are going to kill Pixal."

Dareth froze. Cyrus turned his head away. "I have to get to work," he said. "If I don't complete this… I'm sorry, Dareth."

"It's…" Dareth swallowed, tried again. "It's not your fault," he said. "There's… there's gotta be something, some way…"

"There is no other way. I have to do as I'm told." Cyrus turned his wheelchair around. "I will not risk Pixal's life to save myself."

Dareth stood there for a moment, breathing hard, his thoughts jumbled. Finally, he nodded and set his jaw. "It's alright," he said. "I'll just… turn myself in, and–"

Cyrus twisted around in his wheelchair and stared at him with wide eyes. "Dareth, no!"

Dareth flinched. "I mean, if you'll get in trouble–"

"Dareth, if you turn yourself in, they might kill you!" Cyrus turned back around again and rolled up to him. "I can't lose you like that! Just–just hide in here, alright? There's no cameras in here, they can't find you, and I can share my food. It's not much, but it'll keep us alive, at least–"

He kept rambling, twisting his hands together. When Dareth leaned down to hug him, Cyrus threw his arms around him and pulled him close, his body shaking with sobs. Dareth tried to say something soothing, but what was there to say? He settled for rubbing his back as Cyrus cried.

Eventually, Cyrus pulled away and wiped his eyes. "I really do have to get to work," he said. "You–you can sit with me, just… if anyone comes in, you'll be caught, and–and–"

"Shh." Dareth put a hand on his shoulder. "I got all the way here, right? I'll sit with you, and if anyone comes, I'll just hide again."

Cyrus nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright," he said, his voice shaking. "Alright. I trust you, Dareth."

* * *

The project Cyrus had been ordered to do was repairing Mr. E. Cyrus told him the nindroid's body looked much worse when he first saw it, but Dareth thought it still looked pretty bad. "He came to me in boxes," Cyrus said quietly. "Harumi didn't tell me what happened to him, just to fix him, but… it looked like he had been ripped apart. It wouldn't have been one of us who did it… would it?"

"We would know if it was, right?"

"The alternative is that there was an internal struggle," Cyrus said. "Or… I don't know. But Harumi wants him repaired, so I'd assume whatever happened, it wasn't supposed to end with his death."

Dareth nodded. "Is he, y'know… alright on the inside?"

"Goodness, no. His internal circuitry was damaged beyond belief, like someone reached in and tore it apart. I have to replace most of the wiring, and–"

"Not that–his mind."

Cyrus paused, his hands hovering over the nindroid's exposed chest. "He was built to withstand a great deal of force. His head especially, where his drive was kept–the helmet was not just for show."

"But…" Dareth bit his lip and looked at the pieces of Mr. E littering the workspace, his eyes falling on his helmet.

"I have to fix him," Cyrus said quietly. "My daughter's life depends on it."

He continued his work. Dareth stayed next to him and watched Cyrus' hands move, sure and steady. There was nothing Dareth could do to help, but at least he could be here.

The night dragged on. Harumi didn't come back. Cyrus only stopped working when he was nodding off at the desk; Dareth helped him to his bedroom and they both got in bed. Cyrus wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his chest.

Once Cyrus was asleep, Dareth slowly untangled himself and got out of bed. Cyrus stirred. Dareth ran a hand through his hair. "Just goin' to the bathroom," he whispered. "I'll be back soon."

He pressed his lips to Cyrus' forehead and waited for him to fall back asleep. Careful not to make any noise, he crept out of the room, took one last look at the bedroom door, and left.

* * *

The last time he slept was when he passed out in his landlord's attic. The last time he ate was before that. Dareth sat in the stairwell and took a few deep breaths before getting back to his feet.

Cyrus would figure out he wasn't coming back eventually. He had to move.

Step by step, he went to the top floor.

The lock to the rooftop had been broken open, and the door stood slightly ajar. Dareth heard voices on the other side and his resolve wavered. He crouched on the top step, breathing hard, and thought about going back. Staying with Cyrus until they got caught.

He stood up.

The door creaked when he pushed it open. Harumi spun around mid-sentence. "You!" she shouted. "How did you get up here?!"

"I was just–"

A hand grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him off the ground. Dareth gasped and struggled to speak while Killow cackled. "Hard to imagine you just sneaking in," he said. "You had help!"

"No!" Dareth choked out. "I–I came alone! I'm turning myself in!"

Killow dropped him. Dareth landed on his side and lay there for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

Footsteps coming towards him. Dareth looked up at Emperor Garmadon.

"So," Garmadon growled, "you're turning yourself in."

Dareth gulped and nodded.

Harumi stepped forward. "This has to be a trap," she said. "How would this unarmed, defenseless man get all the way up here without help?"

"I swear!" Dareth squeaked. "I'm alone! I just–I don't want to get Cyrus in trouble!"

"Hm," Garmadon said.

He walked a slow circle around Dareth, clasping both pairs of hands behind his back. Dareth frantically searched his mind for something else to convince him.

"I just–I don't want him to get hurt, alright? If he does something wrong, Pixal'll be hurt, but I swear, he's not doing anything, he's just doing what you asked him to! Don't hurt him, don't hurt Pixal, but–" Dareth steeled himself. "–you can do whatever you want to me!"

Garmadon raised a hand. "And what," he said, "did we ask Borg to do?"

Dareth blinked. "He's, uh, he's fixing up Mr. E."

Someone gasped. When Dareth looked at Harumi, her eyes were wide. Garmadon hummed, and Dareth turned his attention back to him.

"Really," Garmadon said.

Dareth gulped and nodded.

"My father!" Harumi said loudly. "He doesn't know what he's talking about, don't listen to him!"

"What?" Dareth said. "No, it's true, I swear!"

"It may be," Garmadon said, "but I did not ask Borg to fix the nindroid I personally destroyed."

The blood drained out of Dareth's face.

"So tell me, Brown Ninja," Garmadon said. "Who told him to repair Mr. E?"

Dareth stammered so bad he was barely intelligible, even to himself. "I, uh, I don't–don't know."

Garmadon took a step closer. "You don't know," he said. "Perhaps I should find Cyrus Borg and ask him myself."

Harumi got between them.

"My father," she said, "We have no reason to believe this man. The prisoner has been left alone since he was brought here; perhaps he picked up a project in his spare time. I will personally investigate."

Garmadon narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Dareth inched himself backwards, glancing at the stairwell again.

Killow grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. "I'll investigate," he announced while Dareth struggled. "Should deal with the intruder, too. Ha!"

Harumi stiffened. "Killow, are you certain–"

"'Course I am!" Killow let out another short laugh. "Besides, weren't you needed to continue searching for the Green Ninja? You oversee that, I'll handle the small fry."

"Very well," Garmadon said. "Report back to me at soon as possible."

Killow nodded and turned to walk to the elevator.

The last thing Dareth saw before the doors closed was Harumi's terrified face.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for violence. have fun

Killow knocked hard on Cyrus' door. "Hey, Borg!" he said loudly. "Open up!"

Something clattered from inside. "Of course, of course!" said Cyrus' voice. "I just–just need to–"

Killow slammed his fist on the wall. "I said, open up!"

The door slid open.

"Dareth!" Cyrus cried. "What–what did you do to him?! Dareth!"

Dareth couldn't bring himself to respond, just dangled off Killow's shoulder as the larger man shoved past Cyrus and into the room. Killow cleared his throat. "So!" he said. "What have you been working on, exactly?"

Cyrus sputtered something before managing to speak clearly. "I've only been doing as Harumi–as the Quiet One told me to! I swear, I haven't been doing anything else!"

Killow tossed Dareth upside-down onto the couch. Dareth gasped and scrambled to right himself.

"I don't care who told you to do it," Killow said, "I asked what you've been working on. Could I see it?"

Cyrus bobbed his head up and down and pushed himself to his workstation. Killow stepped forward with his arms crossed and frowned down at the bits and pieces of Mr. E.

"Well," he said, "he was telling the truth."

"Of course he was!" Cyrus said with a glance at Dareth. "I mean–who was?"

Killow fixed Cyrus with a glare. "How bad is the damage?"

"Bad," Cyrus squeaked, "but–I can fix him, I swear, I swear!"

"I'm not stupid. His brain, his hard drive–what happened to it?"

"It's intact," Cyrus said, his voice shaking. "For the most part. I could–I could hook him up to a computer, see if there's been any corruption–"

"Good enough. What do you need?"

"What do I–"

Killow waved a hand at the pieces of Mr. E's body. "What do you need to hook him up? Bring only the necessities. You'll have to carry them with you. Your friend can help you, if you wish."

Dareth looked up and met Cyrus' eyes for a brief moment. "Yes!" Cyrus said quickly. "I–I won't do it without him! Threaten me all you want, but not Pixal, not Dareth, not my–"

Killow burst out laughing. Cyrus and Dareth both froze and waited for him to stop.

"You really have no idea!" Killow said with a grin. "Borg, I don't know what Harumi told you, but Garmadon's orders were to have Mr. E's remains disposed of, certainly not to be repaired! If he finds out what you've done, he will not be happy–which is why you must leave the tower."

Cyrus' eyes widened. "What?!"

"Hang on," Dareth said with a squeak. "What's going on? Harumi definitely told Cyrus to fix him–I heard her myself! I mean, part of it–"

"It seems Harumi wasn't pleased with Garmadon's destruction of the nindroid she herself created," Killow said. "So she must have gone behind her emperor's back. Ha! It wouldn't be the first time!" His expression turned serious. "These are my orders: you will take Mr. E's hard drive, and you will leave the tower. I will hide or dispose of the rest of his body. Get as far away from here as possible, before Garmadon finds out what you've done. And you, Brown Ninja–"

Dareth forced himself to meet Killow's eyes.

Killow grinned. "You're going to have to fight your way past me."

Dareth flinched.

"Wh–what?!" Cyrus yelped. "I told you, if you threaten him, I won't–"

"Obviously he's going to win," Killow interrupted. "But I need to get you out without Garmadon knowing I did it. Now do exactly as I say, or you will both die."

Cyrus closed his mouth.

"Get what you need."

* * *

Cyrus didn't have much; a change of clothes and Mr. E's hard drive. Dareth stood next to him, both of them watching as Killow shoved the rest of Mr. E into a closet.

"Good enough," he said, slamming the door shut. "You two have everything?"

"Why are you doing this?" Cyrus asked, his voice shaking.

"Not your business," Killow snapped. "Do as you're told."

Dareth reached for Cyrus' hand, but Cyrus pulled away. "No!" he said. "Harumi told me my daughter would be punished if I even thought about escaping, and now you're telling me to leave?! That's not–"

Killow whirled around and grabbed Cyrus by the neck. Cyrus' eyes shot open and he clawed at the fingers pressing into his throat.

"Cyrus!" Dareth grabbed Killow's arm and tried to pull him away. "Let him go! He did everything he was told, this is my fault, not his!"

Killow loosened his grip, enough for Cyrus to suck in air. "You are in no position to be asking questions," he said. "I will tell you this: we have no way of getting to Samurai X without Garmadon knowing. She will not be harmed as a result of your actions."

He released Cyrus and took a step back. Cyrus rubbed his throat, taking deep breaths. "Fine," he said. "Then I will do as you say."

"You better," Killow said. "It's your life on the line, too."

Killow took off his helmet and tossed what looked like a black baseball bat to Dareth, who jerked back instead of catching it and it fell on the floor. He picked it up; it was heavier than he thought.

"Good!" Killow said. "I need you to hit me as hard as you can."

He crouched down and presented his head to Dareth. "What?" Dareth said. "I mean, uh, are you sure?"

"You're not strong enough to actually hurt me," Killow said, "but Garmadon doesn't know that. If I'm going to pretend you beat me in a fight, I need an injury to be convincing."

Dareth held the bat in trembling arms. "If the rest of them don't know–"

Killow laughed. "You got all the way here, didn't you? Figure something out."

"But–"

"Shut up and hit me." Killow raised his head just enough to glare at him. "Or do you want to end up like your friend at the bar?"

Dareth froze.

"Get on with it, Brown Ninja."

Dareth took a deep breath, steadied himself, and swung as hard as he could.

The bat connected with a solid _thunk._ Killow reeled from the blow. "Damn!" he shouted. "Hurt more than I thought! Good try, Brown Ninja!"

He felt the side of his head and looked at the blood on his hand. Dareth gulped. "Is that it?" he said.

"Sure," Killow said. "This ought to be good enough. Now get out of here before I have to raise the alarm."

Dareth nodded and tucked the bat under his arm. He reached for Cyrus' wheelchair, but hesitated. "Cyrus, should I–"

"I'll move faster with you pushing me," Cyrus said. "Let's–let's get out of here."

Dareth nodded and pushed him to the door. He glanced back once, to see if Killow was following them, but he was sitting casually on the couch. Cyrus opened the door and Dareth focused back on him.

Once they were in the elevator, Dareth took a few deep breaths and tried to think fast. "What floor should we go to?" he said. "We can't go to the lobby, people are guarding it."

"Dareth," Cyrus said, "what did you do?"

"I–" Dareth's voice caught. "I wanted to keep you safe."

"But what did you _do?_ " Cyrus didn't look at him. "I told you, they might have killed you if you turned yourself in. Dareth, I didn't want you to do that."

What was there to say? "I'm sorry, Cy."

"Please," Cyrus whispered, "from now on, listen to me. I can't risk losing you."

The elevator moved.

Dareth jumped when they started to ascend. "Did you press a button?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"No!" Cyrus twisted his hands together. "Oh, no, this is bad–"

"Can we stop it?" Dareth tried to pry the elevator doors open, but they stayed firmly shut. "Can you do something?"

"If I had the key–"

They kept going up at a rapid pace, floor thirty, forty, fifty. They slowed down as they approached the roof. Dareth's stomach dropped. He gripped the bat and readied himself to strike whoever was on the other side of the doors.

The elevator stopped just before the roof. The doors opened. Dareth froze.

Emperor Garmadon narrowed his eyes. "This is a surprise," he said.

Cyrus frantically jabbed the button to close the doors. Garmadon stepped into the elevator and grabbed his arm, yanking him forward and out of his wheelchair.

Dareth lost the little composure he had. "Let go of him!" he shouted, and he swung the bat into Garmadon's chest. Garmadon barely flinched, but he let go of Cyrus and turned to face Dareth.

"You," he said. "I remember you."

Dareth took a step back and swung the bat again. Garmadon caught it. He yanked the bat out of Dareth's hands, causing him to stumble forward.

Garmadon grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. "You may have gotten this far," he growled, "but you will go no further."

He tossed Dareth behind him, into the room proper. Dareth's head spun so much he couldn't move for a moment. He snapped out of it when he heard Cyrus screaming.

"Cy!" he cried, scrambling to his feet. "Don't hurt him!"

Garmadon pulled Cyrus out of the elevator and dumped him on the floor. "And what if I do?"

The resurrected Garmadon was nothing like the kind man Dareth had known, however briefly. There was no reasoning with him.

Dareth tackled him instead.

Garmadon threw him down next to Cyrus. Dareth yelped and tried to get back up, but Garmadon slammed a foot down on his chest. "You are a distraction," Garmadon hissed while Dareth struggled to breathe. "Who sent you? Where are the others? Where is my _son?_ "

"I came alone!" Dareth choked out.

"Liar." Garmadon pressed his foot down harder. "This is all part of your plan, isn't it? No one would turn themself in and risk death to spare one person."

"Get off him!" Cyrus shouted. Garmadon ignored him.

There were spots in his vision. Dareth could barely get his next words out. "I had to!"

"Really," Garmadon said. "Now tell me why."

"I love him!"

The pressure lifted. Dareth gasped for air and went limp, breathing hard. Cyrus pulled himself to his side and buried his face in Dareth's shoulder.

Garmadon glared down at them. "Explain," he said.

Dareth put a hand on the back of Cyrus' head. "Explain what?" he said in confusion.

Garmadon slammed his fist into the wall. Cyrus flinched and held Dareth tighter.

"You say you love him," Garmadon said, "but that makes no sense. Why would you forgo your chance of survival for someone else? Tell me, Brown Ninja."

"You… want me to tell you why I love him?"

"I want you to tell me what makes love worth dying for." One of his hands lit up with purple fire. "And I want you to tell me now."

"I–I will, I swear, it's just–" Dareth gulped. "It's hard to explain, y'know? When–when you love someone, you… you don't want to see them hurt, or suffering, and… and a world where they don't have to hurt feels like… it would be worth dying for."

"But there's no point in that," Garmadon said. "Why would you value someone else's happiness over your own? Over your very life?"

"That's just what being in love is like. And it–it's not always a romantic thing, it can be like…" Dareth felt tears pricking at his eyes. "…like how Mel loved me. How–how he said it wouldn't be so bad if I remembered him. Sometimes… being remembered is all you can ask for, and… and…"

Garmadon said nothing. Dareth took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I've seen it like how Cy–how Cyrus loves his daughter," he said, "and how the ninja all loved each other, like brothers, and…" He swallowed hard. "…how you loved your son."

"You think," Garmadon said, "that I would share this irrational feeling?"

"No," Dareth said. "I know it, because you _did._ You loved Lloyd, and you loved Misako, and…" Whatever he was trying to do, it wasn't working. He felt Cyrus' body trembling, and he couldn't hold back his tears anymore. "…and I don't want to die, not if Cyrus dies with me, I want him and Pixal to be okay, and I want Lloyd to be okay, and Nya, and Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane…"

He sobbed and closed his eyes. "I love you, Cy," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"It's not your fault," Cyrus whispered. "I love you too, Dareth."

"Get out of my sight," Garmadon said.

Dareth opened his eyes. "What?"

The purple fire in Garmadon's hand fizzled out. "I don't want to hear anything more from you," he said. "Leave at once."

Cyrus shifted, looking up with wide eyes. "You're… letting us leave?"

Garmadon growled. "I am ordering you to leave–or I will remove you myself!"

Dareth got his legs underneath him and picked up Cyrus. The elevator doors were still open; Cyrus' wheelchair had blocked them from closing. Dareth carried Cyrus in, sat him back in his wheelchair, and jabbed a button at random.

Garmadon turned away just as the doors closed.

Dareth took deep breaths while the elevator descended. "What just happened?" he asked aloud.

"I don't know," Cyrus said, his voice shaking. "But we're alive."

* * *

The floor they found themselves on was, apparently, where the Sons of Garmadon kept their clothes. Luckily, there was no one there. Dareth leaned against the wall and took deep breaths. "Okay," he said, "I have a plan."

"A disguise?" Cyrus said. "I don't know if that will work for me, not this time…"

"It's not for you. All I gotta do is convince the guards that I got permission to escort you outside." Dareth picked a jacket and pulled it on over his old clothes; hopefully the extra bulk would make him look intimidating. "It's risky, but it's our only shot."

Cyrus nodded. "And then what?"

"Becky helped me find you–her apartment should be safe."

"Becky?! She's alright?" Cyrus took a deep breath. "Oh, thank goodness–I was so worried about her…"

Dareth cracked a smile and stepped out of the closet. "How do I look?" he said.

Cyrus managed a smile back. "Not like yourself," he said. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Nope," Dareth said. "Not in the slightest. But… we've gotta try."

They returned to the elevator. Dareth hit the button for the lobby and positioned himself behind Cyrus' wheelchair. He tried to calm himself as the elevator descended–if this was going to work, he had to be confident.

Well. If there was one thing he was good at, it was faking it 'til he made it.

The doors opened. Dareth pushed Cyrus' wheelchair out and waved to the guards at the entrance. "Hey," he said. "I've got orders to escort Borg outside for a supply run. There's not gonna be a problem with that, is there?"

One of the guards narrowed his eyes. "Orders from who?"

"Harumi," Dareth said. "She's been overseeing Borg's work. I dunno much about it, but he needs an escort, and she's got better things to do."

The guards exchanged a look. "Thought Borg was just here to unlock junk," the other one said.

Cyrus flinched. Dareth thought fast. "Don't tell anyone else," he said, lowering his voice, "but apparently he's working on some secret project for Harumi. Like I said, I don't know what it is, but it's gotta be important, right?"

"Huh. That right, Borg?"

Cyrus nodded and stammered incoherently. The guard laughed.

"Alright," he said. "But be quick. I'll check in with Harumi later."

Dareth nodded. "Got it."

He and Cyrus went past the guards and exited the tower. Dareth kept walking at the same pace, back straight, trying to present as confident as he could, until they turned a corner and he started to run.

* * *

Dareth banged on the door of Becky's apartment. "You there?" he called. "It's Dareth! I'm back!"

Inside, Dareth heard Becky unlocking the door, and it opened just a crack. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, throwing it open. "Dr. Borg?!"

Cyrus managed a small smile. "Glad to see you, Becky," he said, his voice shaking. "Could–could we stay here for a while?"

"Of course!" Becky backed up to let them in. "Stay as long as you need."

"Think I'm gonna pass out," Dareth croaked. "You have a couch or something?"

"Take my bed," Becky said. "I'm serious. Or if Dr. Borg needs the bed…"

"I'm fine sharing with Dareth," Cyrus said. "That would be… preferable, actually."

"Oh," Becky said. Then, "Oh! Alright."

She showed them to the bedroom. Dareth took off his disguise and lay down in his clothes with Cyrus beside him. "'M really tired," he said. "Think I'm just…"

As he was drifting off, Cyrus kissed his cheek. "I love you, Dareth," he whispered. "Thank you."

Dareth fell asleep before he could say it back.


End file.
